After it was revealed that Nicolas Jackson will be sidelined until April, Chelsea will be without a recognized center-forward.
According to reports, the 23-year-old’s examination on Wednesday revealed serious hamstring damage.
Jackson sustained his injury during Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over West Ham United, and after 52 minutes of getting on-field treatment, he was substituted off.
After gaining an early lead, The Blues lost their FA Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion, which he missed.
Jackson will now likely miss some time due to injury, although he is expected to return for Chelsea’s derby match against Tottenham Hotspur on April 2 following the March international break.
The Senegal international joined Chelsea from Villarreal in 2023 and has been the team’s top scorer ever since.
Enzo Maresca will have to make his way through a challenging schedule without an all-star center-forward because Marc Guiu, his backup this season, is also ailing.
Jackson is expected to miss at least five Premier League games due to those schedules, which include games against Brighton, Aston Villa, and Arsenal.
Jackson has contributed to Chelsea’s push for a return to the top four this season with nine goals and five assists in the top division.
Christopher Nkunku led the line against Brighton on Friday, with Pedro Neto on the right flank, Jadon Sancho on the left, and Cole Palmer in the hole behind him.
He is not regarded as a classic No. 9 despite having an excellent goal-scoring record in the UEFA Conference League this season, with seven goals in seven games and 13 goals overall, four more than Jackson.
He has made 31 appearances for Chelsea this season, which is a few more than Jackson, who was regarded as a member of Maresca’s “A-team” but did not participate in the Conference League league phase.
