Chelsea manager Graham Potter has been dealt a big blow after Ben Chilwell's injury, says journalist Pete O'Rourke.

The 25-year-old left-back is set for another spell on the sidelines after damaging his hamstring.

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What happened to Chilwell?

Chilwell picked up a hamstring injury in Chelsea's 2-1 Champions League win against Dinamo Zagreb at the start of the month.

He will now miss the World Cup, which is disappointing for the player after he failed to pick up a single minute at Euro 2020 with England.

This is not the first time Chilwell has sustained a serious injury at Chelsea, with the former Leicester City man having also damaged his ACL back in the 2021/22 season.

Before his hamstring problem, Chilwell managed to make four Premier League starts for the Blues in the current campaign.

What has O'Rourke said about Potter and Chilwell?

O'Rourke thinks Chilwell's injury has come at a terrible time for both Potter and the Chelsea player.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: "It's a big blow for Graham Potter and also a massive blow for Ben Chilwell, missing out on the World Cup with England. He's been so unlucky with injuries recently.

"He's recently come back from a serious knee injury and now to get this hamstring injury as well will come as a huge blow. Potter wants to have his best players fit and available right now, especially with Chelsea's current form, which has seen them fail to win any of their last four Premier League matches."

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Can Chelsea cope without Chilwell?

Chelsea bought Marc Cucurella from Brighton during the summer, so they do have another experienced option for the left-back position.

However, the Spaniard has struggled since making the move from the Amex to Stamford Bridge.

"Look at Cucurella in there with [Granit] Xhaka. He doesn’t move at all," Alan Shearer recently said on Match of the Day (via Daily Mirror) after Cucurella's role in Chelsea's defeat to Arsenal. "He just holds Xhaka. There’s nothing at all from him!"

Ultimately, with the 24-year-old still trying to adapt at Stamford Bridge, not having Chilwell is a bit of an issue and could cost the Blues, who paid Leicester £45m for him (via BBC Sport) back in 2020.

Right now, things are looking quite bleak for Chelsea in general, so the break for the World Cup is probably coming at a good time for the west London club.

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