Medical expert Ben Dinnery has confirmed that Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is suffering from an ongoing knee problem.
The Senegalese shot-stopper has established himself as the no.1 at Stamford Bridge but was rotated on Tuesday night for the visit to Dinamo Zagreb.
Mendy has started all six Premier League games so far this season and was at the centre of a controversial VAR decision that saw him allegedly fouled as he failed to retrieve possession allowing West Ham to equalise in injury time last weekend only for the goal to be ruled out with Gabriel Agbonlahor saying the keeper ‘got away with murder’ as a result.
While the 30-year-old has appeared to be struggling, Dinnery has now claimed that the netminder is nursing an ongoing issue.
Speaking on the Premier FPL Injuries YouTube channel he said: “Thomas Tuchel while he was in post speaking ahead of that tie in Zagreb noted that it was an opportunity to rest Mendy of course he has faced a lot of flak for a couple of indifferent performances and that VAR decision that let them off the hook against West Ham.
“Now that’s an ongoing knee tendon issue, might be tendonitis in and around that so that’s just being managed so it isn’t an injury as such like I say he was withdrawn from that squad just as a precautionary measure just to rest him.”
It would certainly have been interesting to see who new Chelsea boss Graham Potter decided to play against Fulham this weekend in his first game prior to its postponement.
Whether injury may have played a part in his decision, Mendy’s form or lack of it, will have been another major influence.
He has already made one error leading to a goal this term as he gifted possession to Brenden Aaronson in the 3-0 loss to Leeds and he has posted a below-par 6.67 average match rating (SofaScore) ranking 16th amongst 20 Blues players to play in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.
Mendy has also managed just a 60% save percentage rate across his first six games, just the tenth best in the league and with added time to assess his newly inherited squad it will be interesting to see what Potter makes of the situation between the sticks.
