Graham Potter questions Chelsea injury record as number of absentees grows

Chelsea manager Graham Potter has suggested the club could improve its injury record after several players were ruled out of upcoming matches.

This week saw the Blues lose N'Golo Kante and Reece James to injury, having already seen defender Wesley Fofana suffer a sprained knee in their 3-0 win over AC Milan.

It is now feared that all three could miss the World Cup, although James has not been formally ruled out just yet and has instead been sent for further scans on his knee injury.

Last season, Chelsea suffered 97 injuries across the campaign - more than any other Premier League side.

Potter, who has won four of his first five matches as Chelsea manager, has called on the club to do whatever they can to prevent injuries from continuing to hamper their progress.

"I don't think you should blame everything on luck, that's for sure," Potter said when asked about the his side's injury problems.

"I think we can have a look and see what we can do better. Obviously, I've been here a few weeks so I haven't got the answers completely. But clearly, we want to always try to improve and that's an area that we can probably improve."

England right-back James has seen his stock rise dramatically this season as he continues to impress at both club and international level. However, his latest injury could see the 22-year-old miss the World Cup, and Potter says Chelsea must now work on a plan to succeed without their key players.

"It would be wrong to say we won’t miss a player like Reece or NG [Kante] – Wesley Fofana as well," said Potter. "But that’s the job of the squad, my challenge is to find different solutions.

"We haven’t got another Reece James or another N’Golo Kante. You’ve got to find a different way of working in the team. Tactically, that’s a challenge but one we are up for."

Chelsea take on Aston Villa this weekend, looking to continue their impressive form under Potter and launch themselves into title contention.