Chelsea star 'out for the year' as Enzo Maresca dealt third long-term injury

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been dealt a killer blow after one player picked up a serious injury while on international duty. It has been a strong start to the season for the Blues, who remain unbeaten after three league matches.

After a stuttering start on opening day against Crystal Palace, Chelsea picked up six points from six in their matches against West Ham United and Crystal Palace. While he didn't make it onto the pitch in any of the three matches so far this season, Dario Essugo has been named on the bench, but that looks likely to change when the two-time European champions return after the international break.

That's because it's reported by The Athletic that Essugo has undergone surgery because of a thigh injury sustained on international duty with Portugal's under-21s. After being examined by doctors, it was determined that Essugo would need to go under the knife, with his recovery time likely to last up to 12 weeks.

As such, the highly-rated 20-year-old could be out of action until the new year, which spells a problem for Maresca ahead of a hectic schedule. With Premier League, Champions League and League Cup matches to come across the next month, Maresca will be rueing one of his squad players going down for such a lengthy period.

Not least because Essugo has been billed as a potential Moises Caicedo deputy, helping to lessen the workload of the Ecuadorian midfielder. Addressing the situation on Instagram, Essugo said: "Unfortunately, during this international break with the national team I felt something in my thigh that will keep me out for a while. It's frustrating to start the season like this, but I truly believe everything happens for a reason. I'll be back stronger."

It's the third big injury blow of the season already for Chelsea, with Levi Colwill and Liam Delap having gone down with long-term problems. Colwill is expected to be out for several months with an anterior cruciate ligament issue, while Delap is unlikely to see the pitch again before November, having picked up a hamstring injury last time out against Fulham.

Back on the pitch, Chelsea will make the short trip to west London rivals Brentford on Saturday night, for what is their fourth consecutive match against a fellow capital club. Following that, it's a trip to Germany for a mouth-watering clash against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.