Chelsea striker Armando Broja is ruled out for the SEASON after rupturing his cruciate ligament in a mid-World Cup break friendly, leaving them a forward light while Cristiano Ronaldo lurks as a free agent
- Armando Broja ruptured a cruciate ligament in Sunday’s pre-season friendly
- The Albanian forward will be out of action until the end of the 2022-23 campaign
- The 21-year-old had a scan on Monday morning after returning to England
- Cristiano Ronaldo – linked with the Blues over summer – is now a free agent
Armando Broja will miss the rest of the season and is set for surgery after discovering he suffered a cruciate ligament injury against Aston Villa.
Chelsea striker Broja was taken off on a stretcher after hurting his right knee in an innocuous challenge on Villa defender Ezri Konsa during the Abu Dhabi friendly on Sunday.
Broja’s audible screams of pain increased concerns he suffered a serious setback and those fears have been confirmed following checks on his knee.
Armando Broja is out until the end of the season after suffering a knee injury against Aston Villa
The Albanian forward was taken off on a stretcher and was seen clutching his right knee
Broja had a scan on Monday following his return to England to reveal the full extent of the injury.
He is now preparing to have an operation to repair the damage and the success of that and how he responds will influence the length of his lay-off.
A spell on the sidelines of around six months is viewed as realistic if all goes to plan, a timeline which would allow Broja to return in pre-season. Nine up to 12 months is the worst case scenario.
It was confirmed that Broka will miss at least the rest of the season with the injury to his right knee
Broja’s setback is a major blow for both the 21 year-old and Chelsea.
A deal has already been made with RB Leipzig for Christopher Nkunku to arrive in summer
He was set to be handed the chance to cement his place in the Chelsea team during the remainder of the season after being increasingly involved since Graham Potter’s appointment in September.
And his absence currently leaves Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as Chelsea’s only other out-and-out striker while Kai Havertz has been deployed in a false nine…