Chelsea fear Billy Gilmour will miss rest of season with knee injury

Chelsea fear Billy Gilmour will miss the rest of the season after picking up a knee injury during the victory over Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

Frank Lampard already had injury problems in midfield, with Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kanté missing against Palace, and he is likely to be without Gilmour for the final weeks of the campaign. The 19-year-old was substituted with 10 minutes left against Palace and faces an anxious wait before finding out whether he needs surgery.

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Gilmour has impressed when he has played this season. The Scot was man of the match during Chelsea’s wins over Liverpool and Everton in March and his emergence has thrown doubt over the future of Jorginho, who played his first minutes of Project Restart after coming on for Gilmour.

Jorginho, who is of interest to Juventus, could be called upon when Chelsea look to continue their push for Champions League qualification against Sheffield United on Saturday. Kanté is expected to miss the trip after suffering a hamstring injury against Watford last weekend and Kovacic has been struggling with an achilles problem.