Chelsea defender Emerson plays down injury fears after Italy friendly

Chelsea defender Emerson has played down the extent of an injury he picked up while on international duty.

The left-back has been one of Chelsea’s key performers under Frank Lampard so far this season, proving relatively solid in both defence and attack.

How bad is Emerson’s injury? Five things to know…

• Emerson has made a name for himself as Chelsea’s first-choice left-back this season.
• The 25-year-old has started each of Chelsea’s five games across all competitions.
• Chelsea fans were worried after Emerson was taking off with an injury during Italy’s match with Finland.
• But the left-back alleviated some fears, insisting it is nothing to be worried about.
• Chelsea have been already been hampered by injuries to key players this season, including N’Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger.

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But Chelsea fans were left fretting over Emerson’s fitness after the 25-year-old limped off in the early stages of Italy’s Euro 2020 qualifier with Finland on Sunday evening with a muscle strain.

With Chelsea having trimmed their squad this summer despite not being able to register any new players, the Blues are short of options. Currently, Marcos Alonso is the only other left-back in Chelsea’s first team, which left some Blues fans worried for their defence.

However, Emerson has allayed fan fears, insisting the injury is nothing serious.

“Very important win today guys,” he wrote on Twitter.

Vittoria molto importante oggi ragazzi. Purtroppo ho avuto un piccolo infortunio, ma niente di grave. Continuiamo cosi! #Azzurri #EuropeansQualifiers pic.twitter.com/LVhW0PLj8t

— Emerson Palmieri (@emersonpalmieri) September 8, 2019

“Unfortunately I had a small injury, but nothing serious. Let’s go on like this!”

Chelsea next face a tough away trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on September 14, after a mediocre start to the new season, winning one, drawing two and losing one of their opening four games.

And after that, the Blues must turn their attention to Valencia in the Champions League on September 17, with the pressure on for Emerson to fully recover.

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Emerson’s blistering start for Chelsea

Although Chelsea have struggled to get going under Lampard, one player to have impressed in the opening four Premier League games has been Emerson.

The 25-year-old had previously struggled to break into the first team under Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri, with both largely preferring Marcos Alonso as a wing-back and left-back.

But towards the end of Sarri’s reign, the Italian put Emerson into his first-team, a spot which he has kept under Lampard.

And the Italy international has been a solid addition in both defence and attack. No Chelsea player has made more than Emerson’s 15 tackles so far in the Premier League, with the Italian also yet to be dribbled past by an opponent.

Emerson also leads the way at Chelsea for interceptions, with 10, while only Mason Mount (eight) and Pedro (seven) have created more chances than the left-back’s six.