Chelsea centre-back Wesley Fofana is said to be far more optimistic about recovering from a hamstring injury before the end of the season than his coach Enzo Maresca.
The French defender was sidelined for an hour during Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa on December 1, but initially dismissed the problem as nothing more than “a mild muscle warning” that was “nothing serious.”
Maresca’s initial diagnosis was between three and five weeks ago. More than a month later, Fofana remains on the sidelines and is expected to stay there. Chelsea’s manager claimed his centre-back “could be out for the season” on Friday.
Fofana strongly disagrees with this long period of time from which a report emerges L’Equipe has claimed. The French publication suggests the former Leicester City defender has suffered a tendon injury and has declined surgery – which would have guaranteed at least a three-month layoff.
By not going under the knife – which has reportedly been questioned by some of the club’s staff – Fofana expects to drastically shorten his recovery time. Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the 24-year-old is targeting a return before the end of March – months earlier than Maresca’s timetable.
Some suspect that Maresca deliberately overestimated Fofana’s absence in order to force Chelsea to act when it came to reinforcements in January. The Blues boss has already hinted at the possibility of an active winter transfer window. Alongside Fofana, Benoit Badiashile will be out until February and there are few fitness guarantees for Reece James.
If Fofana is to be believed, he will be back before the end of the campaign to compete with any new recruits. The defender’s optimistic attitude was expressed in his New Year’s Day social media post, which read: “Joy, disappointment but always that constant desire to be better than the day before. I will keep fighting. It’s in my DNA.”