Enzo Fernández has been suffering from an inguinal hernia – Getty Images/Alex Pantling
Mauricio Pochettino has suffered a new blow in his bid to solidify his position as Chelsea head coach with midfielder Enzo Fernández likely to miss the rest of the season.
Fernández is expected to undergo surgery on a groin injury that will rule him out of Chelsea’s final six games, which start away at Aston Villa on Saturday night.
No decision has been made on Pochettino’s future beyond this season, with the club still believing there is plenty to play for and Chelsea still able to qualify for Europe.
But Pochettino needs a strong end to the season to help his case to stay on into the second year of his Chelsea contract, ahead of a summer review, and losing Fernández would certainly not help his cause.
Fernández has been managing his injury for some time which has clearly affected his form, but the absence of the 23-year-old, who cost £105 million, will be another blow to Pochettino who has faced an injury crisis all season.
According to reports in Argentina, Fernández has been suffering from an inguinal hernia, a problem that affects the groin region between the lower abdomen and the thigh, for over a month.
Fernández, who was withdrawn in the thrashing by Arsenal on Tuesday night, is hoping to be fit in time to play for Argentina at the Copa America in June and Pochettino had last week suggested that his long-term fitness would be put over any short-term gain.
Last week, Pochettino said: “We are going to do what is the best for him. Again, we have experience of managing this situation. First of all, the most important thing is him as a person, not as a player. It’s about how he feels and if he is comfortable with the situation or not. We will all support his decision [if he feels he needs surgery].
“We are not going to force him to do something. We are here to help and advise him of our assessment and experience. We don’t want heroes. No, we want players that can perform in their best way to help the team achieve what we want.”
With summer signing Romeo Lavia also out, Pochettino is likely to have to play Conor Gallagher in a deeper midfield role alongside Moises Caicedo for the remainder of the season.
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