Chelsea midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu is expected to be out for up to six weeks, giving returning player Andrey Santos a better chance of staying in the squad.
Ugochukwu, 19, suffered another hamstring injury on Christmas Eve against Wolves after being out for a month ahead of the game against Molineux.
The France Under-21 international has been an important squad player for Mauricio Pochettino so far this term, racking up 13 appearances across all competitions, but is now set for another spell on the sidelines.
Chelsea have recalled Santos, the 19-year-old midfielder, after a disappointing loan spell at Nottingham Forest, where he made just two appearances in the early part of the season.
The former Brazil foreigner is back with Preston striker Pochettino’s first team, who travel to Stamford Bridge in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
Santos are in no hurry to seek another loan despite interest from Crystal Palace and several Championship clubs, with new injuries affecting the Chelsea midfielder.
His fate may give the much-loved defensive midfielder, compared to Manchester United’s Casemiro, the chance to make an unlikely debut in January.
Romeo Lavia and Carney Chukwuemeka are injured, while Enzo Fernandez will not be able to play full games due to a painful hernia problem.
Chelsea are expected to be very active in the January transfer window, although lately they are focusing all the resources at their disposal on signing a striker.
Players will have to be sold if Chelsea need to spend significant sums due to restrictive Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. Ian Maatsen is attracting interest from Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich are following Trevoh Chalobah’s recovery from a long-term hamstring problem.
Conor Gallagher, one of only two Chelsea senior midfielders to have full compatibility alongside Moises Caicedo, has been linked with a move to Tottenham but is unlikely to leave in January despite having just 18 months left on his contract.
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