Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson has withdrawn from the Senegal squad and undergone surgery on a hand injury.
Jackson picked up the problem late in September as he left the Carabao Cup victory over Brighton & Hove Albion with a protective splint on his wrist, and the 22-year-old has worn tape on his right hand ever since.
Rather than jet off with Senegal, Jackson has instead opted for surgery on the minor issue which will force him to miss the international fixtures.
While the nature of Jackson’s injury has not been made public, numerous reports suggest the surgery was not significant and will not keep the forward on the sidelines for too long.
Indeed, Jackson is expected to be fit for the return of club football later this month, with Chelsea set to take on Arsenal on October 21 at Stamford Bridge.
The update on Jackson comes shortly after centre-back Axel Disasi also left the France camp after complaining of an injury.
Disasi, a summer signing from Monaco, is understood to have picked up a knock during Chelsea’s 4-1 win over Burnley which will be monitored back at Cobham, but there is confidence that the 25-year-old will also be ready for the Arsenal game.
Mauricio Pochettino’s focus during the international break is on injury recovery, with a number of key players inching closer to returns.
Carney Chukwuemeka was back on the bench against Burnley and continues to work, while captain Reece James is in line for a return against Arsenal as well, having recovered from injury and served a one-game suspension.
Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah are close to returns to full training, while Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, Christopher Nkunku, Marcus Bettinelli and Romeo Lavia continue to work on their own fitness struggles.
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