Chelsea handed Virgil van Dijk example as Mauricio Pochettino given injury timeline

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana could take another full season to return to his form that convinced Todd Boehly to splash £75million on the Frenchman in 2022, according to injury analyst Ben Dinnery.

Fofana has been sidelined since the summer after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament. The former Leicester City star is set to miss the rest of the season meaning his last game coming in the 1-1 home draw with Newcastle in May 2023.

His setback from last year following a long period out injured last season. He also suffered a fractured leg in 2021 meaning his four years in England have been hampered with long-term injuries.

Chelsea will be hoping he can get closer to fitness in pre-season ahead of the 2024/25 season though there has been no fresh update over his recovery for some time. Thiago Silva, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah have all played big parts in Mauricio Pochettino's defence this season but Fofana was expected to be a regular under the Argentine.

Dinnery, speaking to football.london on behalf of Crypto Casino, has claimed there is evidence of players returning to their previous levels after ACL injuries but there are no guarantees that will happen. "What I would say about ACL reconstruction, it’s almost become part of the conversation, it’s not talked about as career-ending as it once was," he said.

"But we’re still talking about a significant setback for any player, regardless of where they are in their career. We’re hopeful and there’s a lot of evidence to suggest that players will return to pre-injury levels but there are no guarantees.

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"He’s not going to be playing competitive football until mid-to-late August, at the very best. We’re then talking about having that period of adapting to the intensity of the Premier League.

"It’s not just about returning to playing but returning to performance. What the research will tell us is that the second season, where you’re seeing a player return to their pre-injury levels - Virgil van Dijk is a perfect example of that. We could be looking at 25/26 before he’s anything like he showed in glimpses and what convinced them to spend all that money."

Van Dijk suffered a similar injury to Fofana in October 2020 against Everton and went on to miss the rest of the season. His first full season back saw him struggle to return to his pre-injury levels but the 2022/23 campaign was the return of the Dutchman at his very best.