Preseason is off to a rather inauspicious start as Levi Colwill’s injury has indeed proven quite serious, confirming our worst fears in fact with the news that he’s undergone surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament and will now miss pretty much the entire season.
While Chelsea have not put any timeline on his recovery, ACL rehab is a lengthy and difficult process and unless you’re Antonio Rüdiger, it will likely take more than six months to complete. Nine months is about standard, but twelve months isn’t uncommon. And full recovery can often take multiple years, even (as we’ve seen with Kurt Zouma and are seeing with Armando Broja and Sam Kerr).
These injuries used to be career-ending; that’s no longer the case, but they can still be very much career-altering. Hopefully Colwill can return even stronger (like César Azpilicueta at the start of his career). He’s in great hands at Cobham and the club will do everything in our power to ensure a great outcome.
Enzo Maresca had hinted that we might dip into the transfer market to help offset the loss of Levi, but we do have some cover with Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile returning from injuries and new signing Jorrel Hato also capable of playing at left-center back.