Chelsea centre-back Wesley Fofana is said to be far more optimistic about recovering from a hamstring injury before the end of the season than his manager Enzo Maresca.
The French defender was forced off an hour into Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on 1 December, but initially dismissed the issue as nothing more than “a slight muscle warning” which was “nothing serious”.
Maresca’s initial diagnosis was between three and five weeks. More than one month on, Fofana remains on the sidelines and is expected to stay there. Chelsea’s manager claimed that his centre-back “could be out for the season” on Friday.Fofana emphatically disagrees with this lengthy timeline a report from L’Equipe has claimed.
The French publication suggests that the former Leicester City defender has suffered a tendon injury and turned down surgery – which would have guaranteed at least three months on the sidelines.
By not going under the knife – which was supposedly questioned by some members of staff within the club – Fofana expects to dramatically reduce his recovery time. Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the 24-year-old is targeting a return before the end of March – months ahead of Maresca’s schedule.