Liam Delap ruled out for Chelsea until December
Chelsea striker Liam Delap will be out of action until December because of a hamstring injury sustained against Fulham before the international break.
He was substituted after only 14 minutes in the 2-0 win over the Cottagers, with manager Enzo Maresca confirming that he has an expected recovery period of 10 to 12 weeks.
The 22-year-old, who joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town for £30 million ($61.2 million) in June after chipping in with 14 Premier League goal involvements last term, had played in all three of Chelsea's matches this season.
He is yet to score or assist in the top-flight so far, but he did get his first goal during Chelsea's FIFA Club World Cup triumph.
In response to Delap's injury and the uncertainty surrounding Nicolas Jackson, who recently transferred to Bayern Munich for £70.5 million ($143.8 million), Chelsea recalled striker Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland to add depth to the squad.
Joao Pedro, who also joined Chelsea from Brighton and Hove Albion this summer, is expected to be Maresca's main option up front.
Maresca commented, "For us, the only number nine is [Marc] Guiu and Joao [Pedro] can play there, and against Fulham we used Ty [George]."
Delap will therefore be out of Chelsea's west London derby against Brentford on Sunday (AEST), and will miss the start of its UEFA Champions League campaign against Bayern Munich on Thursday (AEST).
