Chelsea and manager Enzo Maresca have been given a major boost on the injury front with the potential return of forwards Nico Jackson and Noni Madueke. Both have been missing for several weeks but they were pictured back in training and should hopefully be back in time for the Tottenham match next week. Football insider Fabrizio Romano shared a photo of Jackson in action at Chelsea's training facility.
Jackson was the first to get injured as he pulled his hamstring against West Ham on February 3rd so his return should come a full month later. The initial diagnosis was a minor injury but further scans showed it was more serious and that’s why he has been held out of the lineup since that date.
The Blues have struggled to score without Jackson, scoring 10 goals in 7 matches but 4 of which came against the worst team in the Premier League in Southampton. His absence was especially felt in the first 3 games after his injury as the Blues dropped 3 straight and barely managed a shot on goal against Brighton in the league.
Their offensive output improved slightly after shifting Pedro Neto up to striker but it was obvious that the team was lacking Jackson’s presence up front. Unfortunately the only other natural striker in the squad in Marc Guiu was out injured as well.
Noni Madueke was injured ten days after Jackson when he pulled his hamstring against Brighton in a 3-0 loss. His injury forced Enzo Maresca to shuffle the deck even further and exposed the Blues current lack of depth. It did however give players like Tyrique George a chance to impress and he has done well in relief.
Both players missed the recent international break through those injuries but should be set to return against Tottenham on April 3rd. Madueke has not been as productive as Jackson this season but he did have two goals in January and was a big part of the comeback against West Ham before his injury.
The English forward has been one of the danger men for Chelsea this season and his return allows Maresca to add some firepower to the Chelsea bench as well. The Blues are dangerously close to having a full and healthy squad with the return of these two young stars and we hope Cole Palmer and Marc Guiu follow suit shortly.