Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel confirms Ben Chilwell suffered an ACL against Juventus

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Ben Chilwell suffered an ACL injury against Juventus in the Champions League.

The in-form left back was forced off in Chelsea’s 4-0 Champions League win on Tuesday, sparking fears he could require surgery on his knee which would likely rule him out for the season.

In his pre-match press conference ahead of their huge clash against Manchester United on Sunday, Tuchel said the Blues will decide over the course of the next six weeks whether the player will require surgery on the injury.

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Ben Chilwell suffered an ACL injury against Juventus

Chilwell suffered the injury in an innocuous incident during the second-half of their 4-0 win

He said: ‘Ben is out (for the United game), he has a partial injury of his ACL, and the decision is to treat it conservatively. 

‘The next six weeks will tell the story if he makes it and be available or if he will need surgery.’

‘There is never a good moment for big injuries or injuries in general. 

‘This personally is a very bad moment because he was so involved and full of confidence. He was so important in our victories.

Tuchel said the next six weeks will be key to decide whether Chilwell requires surgery

Chilwell’s injury comes as a blow for Chelsea following his recent excellent form for the club

‘We are very sad but he at the moment is very positive because his body has reacted positively to the first treatments and the injury.’

He added: ‘After a while you have to refocus and focus on the positives, that’s the next week.

‘We will do everything that is possible so he can come back and help us again, strong.’

The injury comes as a huge blow for Chilwell and Chelsea after the wing-back had been in arguably the best form of his career. 

The 24-year-old was left on the ground writhing, ‘in a lot of pain’ according to Tuchel, after appearing to jar his right knee after a challenge with Adrien Rabiot.

Chilwell had been in excellent form for Chelsea after working his way back into the squad

Chilwell had a scan on Wednesday and if he requires surgery on his ACL injury it would result in a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

It would also be a concern for England manager Gareth Southgate with the World Cup in Qatar now less than a year away.

Chelsea do have other options they can turn to for the time being with Marcos Alonso and the versatile Cesar Azpilicueta available to play at the left wing-back role. 

Chilwell had a slow start to the season after a disappointing summer where he didn’t feature for England at Euro 2020 despite making the squad.

In his press conference, Tuchel added it ‘would be a miracle’ if N’Golo Kante is fit for the clash against Manchester United, after twisting his knee against Juventus.

Mateo Kovacic and Romelu Lukaku are also still out of action with injuries.

His injury will also come as a concern to Gareth Southgate less than a year away from the World Cup