Potter on Broja injury, Hutchinson impact and Abu Dhabi work
From the official Chelsea FC website:
Graham Potter was pleased with the application of his young side in Abu Dhabi and happy with the week overall, though there was one downside with the injury to Armando Broja.
The Albanian international was forced off early on during our 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa with a knee injury and his head coach used his post-match reflections to update on the striker’s condition.
‘It was just an unfortunate action,’ said Potter. ‘He got caught up with their player and the ground.
‘It doesn’t look positive at the moment but it’s too early to say. Fingers crossed but it is an awkward one.’
The Blues were beaten by a strike by John McGinn but Potter was nonetheless impressed with how a young team competed against a strong Villa side
‘It was a good game and a good performance from a young team playing against a really experienced Premier League side,’ he continued.
‘We’ve had a fantastic week actually and it’s been good to work with the boys that are here. It’s been really positive to work in these conditions and we’re happy with the week.’
Potter and his players will return to London on Monday morning and the plan for next week involves plenty more hard graft at Cobham, with the prospect of some more injured players returning to team training.
‘The lads that have been injured have had a bit more time training and they’ve stepped up their rehab so that’s good, they’re getting closer,’ he added.
‘We’ve got a full week’s training when we get back and then we have a friendly the following week so that will be good. There’s a few more guys coming back from the World Cup so it’s moving nicely.
‘We’ll be able to have a few more players back in full training with us. Reece James has moved forward, Wesley Fofana is moving forward, Carney Chukwuemeka is moving forward so that’s positive.
‘Hopefully Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ben Chilwell can also take a step forward in their rehab next week so we’re optimistic about that.’
Finally, Potter had words of praise for young attacker Omari Hutchinson, who shone against Villa and almost scored a sublime goal when he fired against the woodwork in the first half.
‘He was really good, dangerous and asked a question all the time,’ he said. ‘Throughout the game he showed his quality but he wasn’t the only one. It was a spirited performance with a lot of young players so it was good.’
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