Chelsea have been dealt a blow ahead of their crucial fixtures against Barcelona and Arsenal, with winger Jamie Gittens suffering an injury while on international duty.

Chelsea’s injury woes continue, with Jamie Gittens limping off during England Under-21s’ 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland on Friday night. 

The 21-year-old winger, who joined Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund this summer, appeared to sustain the injury while attempting to evade a tackle from Ireland’s James McManus in the penalty area.

Gittens was replaced by Fulham’s Joshua King just after the hour mark and headed straight down the tunnel, raising concerns about the severity of the injury. This injury comes at a crucial time for Chelsea, who face Burnley in the Premier League, followed by back-to-back home matches against Barcelona and Arsenal.

Enzo Maresca, Chelsea’s manager, has been short of options in attack recently, but was hoping to welcome back Cole Palmer from a groin injury. Palmer has been sidelined for almost two months and is expected to return to training soon.

Gittens has made 14 appearances for Chelsea this season, scoring once and providing three assists. His absence will be a blow to Maresca’s plans, especially with key fixtures looming.

Meanwhile, two other Chelsea youngsters, Josh Acheampong and Tyrique George, had positive performances for England Under-21s. Acheampong helped keep a clean sheet, while George netted in injury time to seal the win.

The extent of Gittens’ injury is still unclear, and Chelsea will be monitoring his progress closely over the next few days.