Explained: Why Chelsea needed to leave Mason Mount out of their squad for Man City match
- Mount out of Man City clash
- Sustained injury in training
- Joins growing injury list
WHAT HAPPENED? Mount was left out of the Chelsea XI to face Man City in the Premier League on Thursday after sustaining an injury. The England international's absence saw manager Graham Potter go with Denis Zakaria and Mateo Kovacic in midfield behind Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Raheem Sterling. Kai Havertz leads the line for the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
WHY WAS MOUNT ABSENT? "He had a kick in training yesterday so it never rains but it pours," Potter told Sky Sports ahead of kick-off. Mount joins a lengthy injury list at Chelsea that also includes N'Golo Kante, Reece James, Edouard Mendy, Welsey Fofana and Armando Broja.
On the diminished squad, Potter added: "In the end you are trying to find a solution: How do you replace Reece James? How do you replace N'Golo Kante? How do you replace Wesley Fofana? These are guys that are key players for us. I don't want to make excuses, it sounds like them. We need stability and we are working towards that."
Chelsea suffered more injury misery during the match. Raheem Sterling was forced off after just six minutes of the match. Sterling was swiftly followed by Christian Pulisic who also limped out of the game and was replaced by Carney Chukwuemeka.
STORY IN A PHOTO:
WHAT NEXT FOR THE TEAMS? Chelsea and Manchester City meet again on Sunday, this time in the third round of the FA Cup.