Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino issues Trevoh Chalobah injury update after Fulham win

Chelsea's triumph in the inaugural Premier League Summer Series in the United States was punctuated by an injury to defender Trevoh Chalobah just minutes after he stepped into the pitch against Fulham.

Veteran defender Thiago Silva who will turn 39 in September scored the opening goal with a powerful header after a brilliant cross from Ben Chilwell. The finish was another example of the power and accuracy the defender still poses despite his age.

New signing Christopher Nkunku then showed his predatory instinct by being at the right place at the right time to slot home the seond goal of the game to essentially put the game beyond a Fulham side who were chasing shadow.

The pace and power of the seond half would have delighted Pochettino who rang the changes bringing on players like Reece James, Levi Colweill, Nicolas Jackson and Trevoh.

Chalobah would then be replaced by Alfie Gilchrist in a frustrating move for the defender who picked up a knock in the game against Wrexham.

Pochettino told the press he was hoping it was nothing serious: “I hope it’s not a big issue. It’s a precaution. We need to assess him next few days.”

Chelsea have won three of their four pre-season games with Pochettino carefully managing minutes and shaping players ahead of the new campaign.

The average age of the team has also dropped to 22, with players in the range of 26 being seen as senior players and in contention to be team captains. Last year, they finished a disappointing 12th with the owners now looking to restructure the team and go again under Pochettino.

The Blues are also still interested in Brighton and Hove midfielder Moises Caicedo as they look to add quality to the squad after losing N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount.