Graham Potter said he is concerned about the severity of Wesley Fofana’s knee injury after the sight of the £69.5m defender leaving Stamford Bridge on crutches took the shine off Chelsea kickstarting their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 victory against Milan.
Fofana, who returned from a broken leg this year, has had a mixed start to life at Stamford Bridge and it seemed he was back on track after his goal set Chelsea on their way to a crucial win against the Italian champions. However, the former Leicester defender was soon forced off after being caught by Rafael Leão and he will find out if he faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing a scan on Thursday.
“That’s the one disappointing thing about the evening,” Potter said. “We need to scan tomorrow and fingers crossed. I wouldn’t want to speculate on it now. But we’re concerned and we just need to wait until tomorrow and get it scanned and hope for the best.
“These things happen. He’s a young guy, he’s a strong guy, we’ll help him and support him. At the moment there’s not too much to report. Fingers crossed and we’re hoping for the best.”
Fofana’s injury was the sole negative for Chelsea, who were under pressure after picking up one point from their first two games in Group E. They were outstanding in only Potter’s third game in charge and have fresh hope of reaching the last 16 after sealing the points with second-half goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reece James.
Potter, whose side are up to second place, was full of praise for James. The England defender dominated the right flank, created Aubameyang’s second goal for Chelsea and made it 3-0 with a thumping shot.
“Reece is a fantastic player,” Potter said. “He’s a young player, so he’s developing all the time and he’ll get better and better. I’ve really enjoyed working with him. He’s got a lot to offer. He can play any game in the world. He’s just tremendous. My job is to try and help him reach his potential because his potential is beyond the sky.”
Potter was asked if James is the best right-back in the world. “I haven’t watched that much to give you that answer but all I know is we love him,” he said. “His potential is he could be a Chelsea legend with anybody.” The former Brighton manager warned that Chelsea will face a stiff test when they visit Milan next Tuesday. “We’re looking forward to going to the San Siro,” he said. “We have to be ready. It’s going to be a huge challenge.”