Chelsea will not be able to call upon Christian Pulisic until the start of next season with the United States winger ruled out for up to five weeks with injury.
Pulisic, who scored the Blues’ lone goal during Saturday’s FA Cup final defeat by Arsenal, was later withdrawn from the Wembley showpiece after pulling up with an apparent hamstring issue.
Pulisic’s withdrawal dealt Chelsea a huge blow in the FA Cup final
Frank Lampard confirmed immediately after the match that Pulisic – along with Cesar Azpilicueta, who also suffered a hamstring injury during the final – would not feature against Bayern Munich in the Champions League this week, and now the full extent of his injury has been detailed.
The former Borussia Dortmund ace, 21, will be absent for around four to five weeks, talkSPORT sources understand, which means he may not return to training until the week the new Premier League campaign starts on September 12.
Along with Pulisic and Azpilicueta, Spain winger Pedro also suffered an injury as Arsenal downed the Blues 2-1 to win their 14th FA Cup.
He has since undergone surgery on his shoulder which means he has played his final game for Chelsea, with a free transfer to Roma going through this summer.
Pedro confirmed his successful operation on social media, posting a picture and message on Instagram.
Darren Bent questions Frank Lampard following Chelsea’s FA Cup final defeat
“The surgery went well, I will be back soon,” wrote Pedro. “It was a pity not to win the FA Cup. Thank you for all your support.”
Pedro has spent five years at Chelsea, having joined the Blues from Barcelona in 2015.
He helped the Blues claim the 2017 Premier League title, the 2018 FA Cup and the 2019 Europa League.