Ben Chilwell is out until December — leaving England without a suitable left-back

Ben Chilwell faces a long layoff with a hamstring injury. Photo: AFP/Ian Kington

Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell will miss at least two months with a hamstring injury he suffered last week in a knock on Mauricio Pochettino and England.

Chilwell discovered the problem in the final moments of last Wednesday's win over Brighton and Pochettino admitted it «doesn't look good» ahead of further tests on the problem. The Chelsea manager is prepared for his vice-captain to miss a number of matches.

It is understood that Chilwell faces a break of at least eight weeks and could be further suspended depending on how things go the first steps of his rehabilitation. He now faces a battle to return to action ahead of the Christmas games mid-campaign.

The 26-year-old was ruled out of last year's World Cup with a hamstring problem before returning to action. February and is playing regularly as he regains his place in Gareth Southgate's England squad.

He started for England in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine last month but is likely to miss the remainder of the Group C campaign, with Southgate's side are close to qualifying for next year's tournament in Germany ahead of the finals draw on December 2.

At Chelsea, Pochettino used him as a striker, further forward than his usual left-back position, but he was playing in defense against Brighton when the injury struck last week.

Southgate's options

Southgate doesn't have There are so many options at left-back as Luke Shaw is also injured at the moment. He is likely to use Kieran Trippier in that position for the qualifier against Italy in two weeks. He has used the Newcastle United defender there before in big games, including during the last Euros.

Levi Colville, Chilwell's teammate at Chelsea, has played at left-back this season and provided cover. after being called up to the senior team this season following a stint with the under-21 side that ended with victory at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in the summer.

There are no obvious candidates to replace Chilwell, as the replacement. Tyrick Mitchell is playing well for Crystal Palace and was previously selected. Dan Byrne, uncapped, is at Newcastle and helped them reach the Champions League in his full-back position.

What will Chelsea do?

Chilwell has played further forward this season, so Colville, will likely continue playing after being part of Pochettino's squad for now. Marc Cucurella could provide competition at left-back, although he played on the other flank against Fulham this week.

Dutch defender Jan Maatsen, 21, is highly regarded at Chelsea and could also play at striker positions, such as Chilwell.