Chelsea’s Estevao faces a race against time to recover from a thigh injury sustained during his team’s defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League. This setback presents a significant concern for Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil ahead of the World Cup.
Estevao exited the field after just 16 minutes of play, visibly upset and reportedly in tears in the locker room, as per coach Liam Rosenior’s comments.
This match against United marked Estevao’s fourth appearance since returning from a previous muscle injury. Earlier this year, from February to March, he was sidelined due to a setback that excluded him from Brazil’s squad for friendly matches against France and Croatia.
The Athletic has indicated that Estevao may have incurred a grade four injury, raising serious doubts about his World Cup participation. The club has not yet disclosed the results of the scan, which was conducted last Monday.
In the interim, Chelsea, who are competing in the FA Cup semi-finals, will need to navigate their schedule without his services.
Currently, in the Premier League, Chelsea sits in seventh place with 48 points, only two points behind the top six. Estevao has made a notable impact with eight goals and three assists across 36 outings for the Blues.
If the injury is confirmed, Estevao will have limited time to regain fitness ahead of his debut World Cup. He is considered one of the key players in Ancelotti’s Brazil squad.
As part of the national team, he has earned 11 caps and netted five goals, with four of those coming in his most recent four appearances.
Ancelotti is set to announce his final squad on May 18th, and Brazil’s opening match is scheduled for June 13th against Morocco, alongside Scotland and Haiti in the group.
Compiled by SportArena.au
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