Albania manager Sylvinho has confirmed that striker Armando Broja has been sent back to Chelsea after complaining of discomfort during the international break.
Broja suffered a nasty knee injury back in December 2022 but made his return this season, making four appearances before being called up to the Albania squad for the current international break.
However, he did not feature for his country after Sylvinho revealed he was in no condition to play, and the Albania boss has now provided more detail on Broja’s fitness.
“What happened to Broja is very simple, it arose from a serious injury, he had to stay off the pitch for nine months,” Sylvinho explained.
“He came back a few weeks ago, he played a few minutes in the first match, the same in the second. Then, one match before coming to us, he played 45 minutes and was replaced due to some physical problems.
“As normal, he had a check-up at Chelsea before coming to us, the checks had gone well. When he came here, he trained, but he still had a bit of concern: we sat down and spoke to the doctor, and we were in constant contact with Chelsea to find out about his injury.
“It was clear that he could play and together with the club and the player we agreed that he would return to Chelsea and begin his recovery. That’s the whole story.”
The international break has brought around a few more injury scares for Chelsea, who are back in action against Arsenal on Saturday.
Midfielder Cole Palmer was sent home from England Under-21 duty after suffering a dead leg, while centre-back Axel Disasi also picked up an injury which has left fans sweating over his involvement against Arsenal.
Summer signing Romeo Lavia was also the subject of a concerning update which claimed his long-awaited debut may have been pushed back to December as his battle to recover from a number of fitness problems continues.
There is some positive news, however. Centre-back Benoit Badiashile has returned to full training and there is hope that right-back Reece James will be able to make his comeback from injury. The captain has not been seen since picking up a hamstring problem 76 minutes into the season but could be back against Arsenal.