Chelsea have reportedly been handed a potential injury blow for the remainder of the month.
The Blues have been plagued by issues to members of their squad throughout the campaign, something Mauricio Pochettino has constantly had to address at his press conferences.
For their latest Premier League fixture with Everton on Monday, Chelsea were missing a further three players in Axel Disasi, Enzo Fernandez and Raheem Sterling.
On this occasion, Pochettino's side were not negatively impacted by their absence as they ran out 6-0 victors over the Toffees at Stamford Bridge.
Despite the issues that have arisen over an incident prior to the fifth goal, the level of performance was ideal for Chelsea ahead of their FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City on Saturday evening.
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Fernandez considering surgery
However, it has seemingly emerged that one of the aforementioned absence trio could be sidelined for a longer period of time than initially anticipated.
According to Canal Showsport, a hernia issue has been bothering Fernandez for several months and may lead to him undergoing an operation.
The report suggests that injections have failed to ease the problem for the World Cup winner, who may now have surgery that would keep him sidelined for the rest of the month.
Nevertheless, it is suggested that the Argentina international may make himself available to face City at Wembley Stadium before reaching a decision.
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Would Chelsea miss Fernandez in the short and long term?
On the back of thrashing Everton, many Chelsea supporters may feel that playing with two industrious central midfielders is the way to go, rather than the usual three.
Conor Gallagher, playing in a deeper role, worked well alongside Moises Caicedo, with Cole Palmer thriving in a creative role in front of them.
That said, facing Man City in a cup semi-final at the national stadium is chalk and cheese in comparison to facing opponents short of confidence and battling relegation.
If passed fit, Fernandez is likely to start alongside Caicedo, with Gallagher pushing forward and either Noni Madueke or Mykhaylo Mudryk dropping out of the team.
Following the City game, Chelsea face a run of fixtures against European-chasing teams, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United their next four opponents.
Darren Plant
