Chelsea are set to be without a recognised centre-forward after it was reported that Nicolas Jackson would be ruled out until April.
It is understood that the 23-year-old had a scan on Wednesday which confirmed significant damage to his hamstring.
Jackson’s injury was picked up in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over West Ham United, where he was forced off after 52 minutes after receiving on-field treatment.
He then missed The Blues’ following game against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup, which they lost after taking an early lead.
Jackson is now set for a spell on the sidelines with a return pencilled in for Chelsea’s derby clash against Tottenham Hotspur on April 2 after the March international break.
The Senegal international has been Chelsea’s leading striker since his west London arrival from Villarreal in 2023.
His back-up this season, Marc Guiu, is also injured, which means Enzo Maresca will be forced to navigate his way through a tricky set of fixtures without an out-and-out centre-forward.
Those fixtures include matches against Brighton, Aston Villa and Arsenal, with Jackson set to miss at least five Premier League games.
So far this season, Jackson has played his part with nine goals and five assists in the top flight as Chelsea fight for a return to the top four.
Against Brighton on Friday, Maresca picked Christopher Nkunku to lead the line, with Jadon Sancho on the left, Pedro Neto on the right flank and Cole Palmer behind Nkunku in the hole.
Despite having an exemplary record in front of goal in the UEFA Conference League this season, with seven strikes in seven games – and 13 across all competitions, four more than Jackson – he is not considered a traditional No. 9.
He has featured 31 times for Chelsea this season, a handful more than Jackson who did not play in the Conference League league phase and was considered part of Maresca’s ‘A-team’.