Chelsea striker Armando Brocha is expected to miss the rest of the season after tearing his right knee anterior cruciate ligament during a friendly against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Broja, who spent the 2021/22 season on loan at Southampton, made 18 appearances for Chelsea this season, scoring his first goal for the Blues in the Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wolves in October.
The Albanian international has been chosen to lead the line against Villa in Abu Dhabi, with Graham Potter looking to get his team up to speed before the Premier League resumes later this month.
However, Brocha was carried off the field after he went down clutching his left knee, falling awkwardly when he appeared to be caught on the turf by the spikes.
The Blues said in a statement: “After suffering a knee injury in the first half of Sunday’s friendly against Aston Villa, Armando underwent further testing following the club’s return to England.
“Scan results from these evaluations unfortunately confirmed an ACL tear and the need for surgery.
“After the operation, Armando will work closely with the club’s medical department during rehabilitation and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2022-23 campaign.”
Keep your head up and get well, Armando.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 14, 2022
Young Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Unai Emery’s men, with John McGinn scoring the only goal of the game after seven minutes.
Chelsea will resume their Premier League campaign against Bournemouth on 27 December at Stamford Bridge, dropping to eighth in the table after a poor performance ahead of the World Cup.
