Enzo Maresca has provided some worrying news for Chelsea fans just over two weeks out from the start of the Premier League season.
The Italian's side are currently preparing for their first pre-season game with Bayer Leverkusen on Friday (August 8), after having extended time off for winning the FIFA Club World Cup last month in the United States.
Speaking ahead of the match with the Bundesliga outfit at Stamford Bridge, Maresca revealed that defender Levi Colwill sustained an injury during a training session earlier this week.
The Chelsea boss stated: "We had a problem with Levi Colwill. It was the first session on Monday. Just in the last minutes of the session, he felt something."
However, Maresca remained tight lipped over what injury Colwill may have picked up and how long he could potentially be on the sideline for.
"We need to wait, we don't know yet (what the injury is). We don't know how long he's going to be out. Hopefully not too long but for sure it's a problem for us."
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Colwill's importance to Chelsea
Colwill's game has notably matured recently, as shown in his improved displays for Chelsea last season.
He featured 34 times in the Premier League for Maresca's side, and scored the only goal of Chelsea's final league game against Nottingham Forest to secure a fourth-place finish, and subsequently Champions League football for this forthcoming campaign.
The English centre-back also featured prominently for his side at the Club World Cup, starting five out of the seven games Chelsea participated in.
Maresca is aware of just how vital a player Colwill is for last season's UEFA Conference League winners.
"I spoke with him and I told him if we achieve what we achieved last year, it's also because of him. He was a main player for us," the 45-year-old said.
Maresca will want to find out as soon as possible how long the 22-year-old is out for, as missing his crucial leadership and ball-playing attributes for the start of the season could be an issue.
Chelsea will have a second pre-season match on Sunday (August 10) against AC Milan at Stamford Bridge, before taking on Crystal Palace at home on August 17 to kickstart the side's Premier League season.
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