Chelsea’s injury woes continue as Malo Gusto has withdrawn from the France Under-21 squad due to a thigh injury, the French Football Federation has confirmed.

The right-back, who was set to join Les Espoirs for their upcoming Under-21 European Championship qualifying matches against Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, picked up the injury during the second half of Chelsea’s game against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Gusto, who has been a bright presence in Chelsea’s backline this season, will now continue his recovery at Cobham, Chelsea’s training ground.

His absence will be a blow to new France Under-21 head coach Gerald Baticle, although the squad still includes Lesley Ugochukwu, another Chelsea player currently on loan at Southampton.

This development follows closely on the heels of another injury-related withdrawal from the French national teams. Wesley Fofana, who recently returned to action after a lengthy injury lay-off, was also ruled out of the senior squad following discussions with head coach Didier Deschamps.

Fofana, having featured in all three of Chelsea’s Premier League games this season, has been taking a cautious approach to manage his comeback.

Adding to Chelsea’s list of international absentees, England confirmed that Omari Kellyman has been forced to pull out of the England Elite Squad, formerly known as the Under-20s, due to an injury he sustained last week.

The spate of injuries to Chelsea players comes at a challenging time as the club looks to maintain momentum in both domestic and international competitions.

The latest withdrawals underscore the importance of player fitness management, especially with a packed fixture schedule ahead. Chelsea fans will be hoping for speedy recoveries and minimal disruption to the club’s plans this season.