Due to a persistent knee problem, Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy left his international commitment early and returned to England.
Mendy sustained the injury during the last minutes of the Blues’ 2-1 victory over West Ham, and he hasn’t played since.
But Mendy hasn’t played since, missing Chelsea’s final two matches before the break, a 1-1 draw at home against Red Bull Salzburg, and a 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb.
The 30-year-old was called up to the Senegal squad for their forthcoming friendlies against Bolivia and Iran, so the injury wasn’t regarded as being too significant.
But only a few days into the international break, Mendy has returned to Chelsea for additional knee care; the duration of the goalkeeper’s absence is unknown.
On October 1, when Chelsea will play Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and Graham Potter will be in charge of the Blues for his first Premier League game, Mendy may even be healthy enough to play.
If he is unable to play, Kepa Arrizabalaga, who filled in for Mendy in Chelsea’s most recent Champions League games against Dinamo Zagreb and Red Bull Salzburg, will once again be in goal.
Since joining the west London team from Rennes in 2020, Mendy has been virtually a constant, winning the Champions League and Club World Cup and making it to the FA Cup and League Cup finals.
He was crowned FIFA’s Best Goalkeeper at the same time he won the Africa Cup of Nations.
However, he has had a very difficult start to this season, keeping only one clean sheet and giving up nine goals in six games while also making some high-profile mistakes in the matches against Leeds and West Ham.
With less than two months until the World Cup in Qatar, Chelsea will be hoping that he can regain his best form after recovering from his injury, as well as Senegal.
