Chelsea star Armando Broja has been ruled out of the 2022/23 football season after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury.
Chelsea took on Premier League side Aston Villa on Sunday, 11th December 2022, in a mid-season friendly in Abu Darby.
Note that since his arrival as the new Aston Villa manager, former Villarreal and Arsenal manager Unai Emery has brought his class and pedigree to bear.
His first Premier League game in charge of Ason Villa was a shocker. He pulled a stunner against Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United beating the Red Devils to secure all three points.
During the World Cup break, Unai Emery met Chelsea in a mid-season friendly in Abu Diaby, where they won 1-0 after a heated encounter.
While Chelsea manager Graham Potter may dismiss the result as just a preparatory to a restart of the season, he has been hit with a big blow after one of his choice forwards – Armando Broja – was stretched off the game.
The Inter Milan target saw a swift change in his Chelsea career after Graham Potter emerged as the new manager of the London-based club.
Armando Broja has made 12 appearances this season for the Blues but has now been forced off the team into Chelsea’s mounting injury list.
A statement by Chelsea confirmed Armando Broja’s cruciate ligament injury, adding he will now undergo surgery and will be ruled out for the rest of the season.
While undergoing rehabilitation, Armando Broja will be close to Chelsea’s medical officials, who will be monitoring his recovering progress till his full return to the team.
Chelsea’s statement reads: “Having sustained a knee injury during the first half of Sunday’s friendly against Aston Villa, Armando underwent further assessment following the club’s return to England.
“Scan results from those assessments have unfortunately confirmed an anterior cruciate ligament rupture and that surgery will be required.
“Following the operation, Armando will work closely with the club’s medical department during his rehabilitation and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign.”
Armando Broja had to be stretched off the pitch by Chelsea’s medical personnel after he went into a collision with Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa in the mid-season friendly in Abu Darby.
The 21-year-old sprawled to the ground after the challenge, hurt his right knee and was audibly screaming in pain while clutching onto the knee.
After the injury, Armando Broja was scanned on Monday, 12 December, after he returned to England, and it was confirmed he will be ruled out for the rest of the season.
As confirmed by the club’s statement, Broja will now undergo an operation to repair the damaged knee. The lengthy layoff is expected as he will undergo rehabilitation after the surgery.
Now, Broja will only return to Chelsea’s lineup in the 2023/24 preseason, as he will be out for at least six months following the injury.
The injury is both a major blow to Chelsea and the career of Armando Broja. He was on the course of establishing his place in Chelsea’s starting lineup after Graham Potter took over the reins at the club.
Graham Potter now has Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as Chelsea’s only out-and-out striker, while Kai Havertz is usually deployed in false nine role.
Armando Broja’s injury has piled up Chelsea’s worrisome injury list. The likes of N’Golo Kante and Reece James were left out of their respective national team World Cup squads due to injuries.
Other Chelsea players on the injury list include Kepa Arrizabalaga, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Chelsea will take on Bournemouth on December 27 as the Premier League returns after the World Cup break.
