“The hardest part was trying to forget about my injury and not think about my knee. But it’s an incredible feeling today, a year later.“More than twelve months after his cruciate ligament rupture, Wesley Fofana shared this fall his happiness at playing football again without apprehension. Doing his job again, simply, without the sword of Damocles hanging over his head.
It must be said that since his arrival in England, the former Stéphanois has not been spoiled. A fractured fibula at Leicester, a cruciate ligament at Chelsea and a whole bunch of annoyances which took away a good part of his career in the Premier League.
And while the sky seemed to have cleared, while he was putting together great performances with a finally exciting Chelsea team, while he was starting all the Premier League matches with one exception due to suspension, Fofana relapsed at the beginning of December with a hamstring injury. What seemed like just a setback has now turned into yet another hard blow. Enzo Maresca, his coach at Chelsea, gave some less than reassuring news this Friday. Bad luck hits Fofana.
Wesley Fofana (Chelsea)
Credit: Getty Images
I don’t think this type of injury can be compared to others
“Unfortunately, he could be out for the rest of the seasonMaresca said. We don’t know exactly if this is for the whole season, or for part of the season“. The central defender suffered a muscle injury during the 3-0 victory against Aston Villa on December 1. Maresca then spoke of an absence of “several weeks“. “CThis was the first information we had, but upon review we realized it was worse than we initially thought. It’s a hamstring and unfortunately we’re going to lose it for a long time.“, added the coach.
“I don’t think this type of injury can be compared to others. It’s a completely different type of injury“, assured Maresca. This one, muscular, does not seem to have a direct link with his major knee problems. It is therefore the fate which befalls one of the most gifted defenders of his generation since his first match in October 2020 in the Premier League, 1,538 days have passed. Fofana has spent half of them (763) in the infirmary.
Wesley Fofana comforted by Frank Lampard after the defeat against Real Madrid, April 12, 2023
Credit: Getty Images
I’ve said many times that I’m in love with Wes
Despite his injuries and his absences, Fofana has carved out quite a reputation in the kingdom. “I’ve said many times that I’m in love with Wesrecalled Maresca. He is that type of defender who can give you the opportunity to press and be aggressive.“His absences, however, delay his development in the French team. His impressive performances in the Premier League should have installed him there in the same way as his former teammate at AS Saint-Étienne, William Saliba. But Fofana did not only a selection and collects defections to Clairefontaine.
This new damn blow is a new obstacle in the path of the unfortunate Fofana. Few players have accumulated so many in a career. So at 24 years old… But his level of play never suffered. A real feat in the face of such an avalanche of injuries.
