Enzo Maresca faces anxious Chelsea injury wait as star withdraws from international duty

Wesley Fofana has withdrawn from international duty with France. Chelsea see it as very much a precautionary measure after the defender felt some pain in his left knee following the 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.

The Blues would only ever pull a player from international duty for their own safety, football.london understands, and given Fofana's injury record in recent seasons, this is viewed as the most sensible option. Benjamin Pavard of Inter Milan has been called up by Les Bleus as Fofana's replacement for their UEFA Nations League matches against Israel and Italy.

A statement from France read: "Wesley Fofana, who is experiencing pain in his knee, will not take part in the gathering with the Blues. Benjamin Pavard is called in as reinforcement."

READ MORE:What Reece James did to Arsenal star Kai Havertz that Chelsea supporters will love

READ MORE:I was Chelsea's top wonderkid - but they treated me like a reserve after I signed four-year deal

Fofana missed the entirety of the 2023/24 season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in the summer of 2023. However, the France international returned to action this summer as he took part in Chelsea's pre-season tour of the United States.

Since then, the 23-year-old has featured 10 times for Chelsea - all in the Premier League - as he continues to form a partnership with Levi Colwill at the heart of the defence. Sunday's performance against Arsenal was arguably Fofana's strongest since returning to action in the summer - and as he said last month, he is going from strength to strength in what has been an extremely long and painful road to recovery.

He said: "I'm very happy. After a long time out, I am enjoying every moment and it's very good to be playing again. I worked very hard to come back stronger and every game I play, I feel better.

"I missed playing at Stamford Bridge, with the guys. You miss playing football, because training and games are very different things, and you don't feel the same sensation until you are playing games again.

"You feel something when you are out on the pitch, inside the stadium. I don't know how to explain it but you feel something inside. At the first game of the season, against Man City, I felt that again, and I felt just joy."