Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek will miss the UEFA Europa League final against Arsenal after suffering a season-ending injury in a friendly match in the United States.
The English youngster was forced from the field in the 69th minute after he went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Chelsea were facing New England Revolution in Boston as part of their ‘Say No To Antisemitism’ campaign, which unsurprisingly has not sat well with fans given the timing of the fixture.
The club will meet Arsenal in arguably the biggest game of their season, making the decision to schedule the friendly two weeks prior simply baffling.
Manager Maurizio Sarri was delighted with the club’s attitude towards the cause but was understandably sceptical of the timing.
“We go there for a good reason I think, so as a man I am very happy to go there,” he said.
“As a coach, of course, I am a little bit worried because I know very well that the team now needs rest. So it is not the best way to prepare the final, I think.”
Loftus-Cheek was one of six changes that Sarri made at half-time but unfortunately only lasted some 25 minutes and will now miss out on a European final.
He will also miss England’s Nations League finals which are scheduled to kick-off on June 7 against the Netherlands.
