Chelsea suffer injury setback, concern for Conte given worrying lack of depth

Chelsea FC
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  • Chelsea face an anxious wait after Michy Batshuayi picked up an injury
  • Antonio Conte will hope for good news as the Blues are lacking in depth up front
  • Alvaro Morata remains the only other natural striker at Conte’s disposal
  • READ MORE: Chelsea ace seeks exit, eyes forcing ideal Barcelona switch

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is already short of options in terms of strikers, and the latest injury blow will only make the situation worse.

The reigning Premier League champions have had to heavily rely on summer signing Alvaro Morata so far this season, while Michy Batshuayi has been inconsistent in offering a different option whether off the bench or when Conte opts to rotate.

The 24-year-old has an impressive tally of seven goals in 13 appearances in all competitions though, and so he has proven to be a useful part of the squad in the early part of the campaign.

Unfortunately though, he now faces an anxious wait to determine the extent of the foot injury that he has picked up while on international duty with Belgium this week.

The forward has returned to Chelsea having been ruled out of games against Mexico and Japan, as per freelance injury analyst Ben Dinnery in the tweet below, but it’s not yet clear as to how long it will keep him sidelined for.

It’s an awful time for Chelsea to potentially be left short too, as they take on West Bromwich Albion, Qarabag, Liverpool, Swansea City, Newcastle United and Atletico Madrid in the space of just over a fortnight.

In turn, they’ll be hopeful that Batshuayi isn’t out for long as they could certainly do with an option to rest Morata, with the only other alternative to seemingly play the likes of Eden Hazard or Pedro through the middle which isn’t a bad option by any means, but Conte would surely much prefer to play individuals in their preferred and more effective roles.

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