After Liam Delap was forced off the pitch early in Chelsea’s goalless draw with Bournemouth, the west Londoners have been given a timeline for his recovery
Chelsea will be without Liam Delap for between six to eight weeks after his injury against Bournemouth.
The summer signing from Ipswich Town was forced to depart the pitch early in the Blues 0-0 draw away to Bournemouth. Delap, 22, suffered what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder after he got tangled with Cherries defender Marcos Senesi.
He left the field with his arm in a sling as he was replaced by Marc Guiu. Delap, who suffered a hamstring injury in the victory over Fulham early on in the season, may not feature again until February, according to a recent injury timeline.
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According to talkSPORT, the ex-Manchester City star will be absent for close to two months. This is another huge blow for Delap, who has not been able to put together a consistent run of appearances since his ÂŁ30million move from Portman Road.
Things were beginning to look up for the England Under-21s international when he scored the third goal in Chelsea’s stunning 3-0 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League. Outside of the Club World Cup, his close range finish against the Catalans was his first goal for the west Londoners.
He has so far been limited to just eight Premier League starts this season. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was visibly concerned by the injury in his post-match interview.
When asked about Delap’s condition, the Italian said: “Unfortunately he was already out for two months and he has to be out again. We don’t know for how long, but it looks quite bad, his shoulder.”
Delap’s chances at Chelsea have been few and far between, whether it is down to injuries, competition or suspension. His hamstring injury against Fulham resulted in him missing two months of football.
His return to Maresca’s side in October also did not go well, as he was given two quick-fire yellow cards for barging Yerson Mosquera and Emmanuel Agbadou in a Carabao Cup clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Maresca described the actions as “very stupid” and “embarrassing” and Delap publicly and privately apologised to team-mates.
During his time on the side-lines, Delap may have an opportunity to study the positions and spaces Maresca wants him to take up. The pair worked with each other in Manchester City’s Under-21s title winning team in 2020/21.
Explaining Delap’s struggles last month, the Chelsea boss said: “Liam is a No.9 who needs space, needs to attack in behind and fight. Against teams in a low block, it’s more difficult because there is no space to attack.”
The forward was an effective replacement for Nicolas Jackson, who was sent out on loan to Bayern Munich. He has also had to compete with fellow summer signing Joao Pedro.
Moreover, Maresca also opted to use Pedro Neto as a striker in the victory over Barcelona, despite having Pedro and Delap at his disposal.
