Chelsea defender returns from international duty prematurely due to illness

Chelsea fullback Malo Gusto returns to club after illness in France U23 training

As per Metro, Malo Gusto has been sent back to Chelsea after the right-back suffered an illness during international duty for the France U23 team as the Les Bleus prepare for the clashes against Ivory Coast and the United States.

Gusto made his first appearance for the youth France national team in November since joining Chelsea. The right-back has adjusted his life in the Premier League and has become one of the most prominent players.

His performance should have merited him a spot in the France national team, but the former Olympique Lyon fullback was instead called by Thierry Henry for U23 matches. As the Paris Olympics approach, France will be looking forward to building momentum.

But Gusto won’t be participating in any of the friendlies, and the 21-year-old will return to Chelsea and the club will assess the extent of his sickness before making any announcements. Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping it’s nothing serious. He has been dealing with an array of injured players since the start of the season.

However, Gusto should recover for Chelsea’s next match, which is on March 30. Gusto is the only fullback available to play in the right-back position as Reece James continues to recover from his hamstring injury after undergoing surgery.

Gusto needs rest as we head into crucial time of season

When it comes to our players becoming ill or hurt, we have to exercise extreme caution. We have a significant month coming up for us, and we will require the majority of the players, if not all of them, as our performance, will also decide if we play in the European competition the next season.

Gusto will now have enough time to recover from his illness and return to practice; maybe it will be by next week. He has been our only right-back left, and we need to be very serious with his fitness, we cannot risk him getting any serious injury or sickness.

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James’ availability has forced Pochettino to use different players in the right-back position this season, but since Gusto returned from injury he has been frequently utilised by the Argentine manager. To avoid the possibility of Gusto getting injured, Pochettino must understand when he excessively uses the player and provide him with critical rest.