Chelsea have announced that Carney Chukwuemeka underwent knee surgery on Monday evening.
On the preceding day, the 19-year-old had made his second successive Premier League start in a fixture against West Ham United at the London Stadium.
During the first half, Chukwuemeka starred as Chelsea largely dominated the Hammers, while he also clinically swept the ball into the far corner from 12 yards for his first goal in a Blues shirt.
However, before the end of the opening period, the England Under-20 international went down clutching his knee, initially trying to continue before being unable to put any weight on the injured area.
Chukwuemeka was helped off the pitch by the Chelsea medical staff before he was seen returning to the team coach after the game struggling to walk.
Bitter sweet feeling scoring my 1st goal for Chelsea💙 but picking up an injury and not coming home with 3 points. Minor setback but I'll be back very soon💪🏾Thank you Chelsea fans for your love & support💙
— Carney Chukwuemeka (@Chukwuemekaa10) August 22, 2023
Gods Speed🙏🏾GREATER highs to come. pic.twitter.com/vPXQNbWzxM
On Tuesday morning, the playmaker took to social media to reflect on what occurred in a fixture that Chelsea went on to lose by a 3-1 scoreline.
Although Chukwuemeka has described the injury as a "minor setback", Chelsea preceded that post by revealing that the £20m signing from last year had undergone an operation.
A statement read: "Carney Chukwuemeka sustained an injury to his left knee during our game against West Ham United on Sunday.
"Last night Carney underwent surgery and will now begin his recovery.
© Reuters
"The 19-year-old will work with the club's medical department on his rehabilitation at Cobham."
While Chelsea have not given any indication over a timeframe for recovery, journalist Tom Roddy of The Times says on Twitter that Chukwuemeka could be absent for six weeks.
Should it emerge that is the official rehabilitation time, Chelsea may perceive it to be a best-case scenario given the amount of knee injuries that they have suffered since the end of last year.
Armando Broja has been sidelined since December, Wesley Fofana is out for the majority of this campaign having suffered yet another injury in that area and Christopher Nkunku sustained a knee injury in pre-season that will keep him out until the closing weeks of 2023.
Darren Plant
