Jorgensen is Chelsea’s first-choice keeper – Maresca

SourceBBC

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says Filip Jorgensen is the club’s first-choice goalkeeper “at the moment” over Robert Sanchez.

Jorgensen, 22, started Chelsea’s most recent Premier League game against West Ham in place of Sanchez, who has made a number of high-profile errors.

Sanchez – who has a joint Premier League-high of five mistakes leading to goals this season – returned for the FA Cup loss at Brighton, but Maresca confirmed Jorgensen is now Chelsea’s number one.

“I said that the Filip solution [against West Ham] was also to give Robert some time to recover mentally and physically,” the Blues boss said.

“But the idea is not to game-by-game change the keeper. In the last Premier League game we had Filip and in the FA Cup, it was Robert. Our keeper at the moment is Filip.”

Maresca added: “I spoke with Robert a few days before West Ham where I took the decision to play Filip. I never spoke again with Robert. Filip, exactly the same.

“They know the situation. This is the situation now and then we will see.”

Jackson out for up to eight weeks

Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson goes down injured in Premier League match against West HamImage source: Getty Images

Image caption: Nicolas Jackson has scored nine goals and registered five assists this season in all competitions

Maresca also confirmed that forward Nicolas Jackson has been ruled out for “around six to eight weeks” with a hamstring injury.

The 23-year-old came off injured against West Ham two weeks ago and, although Maresca was initially hopeful the Senegal striker had avoided a major setback, scans have since revealed the problem to be worse than feared.

Jackson has scored nine goals so far this season, making him Chelsea’s second-top goalscorer behind Cole Palmer with 14.

It leaves the Blues without a recognised number nine after Spaniard Marc Guiu, who replaced Jackson at West Ham, picked up a serious groin injury in the same match.

“Nico [Jackson] will be out until the international break, probably available after the international break,” Maresca said.

“We knew it was a muscular problem, but not how important it was. His reaction was quite good, so we all thought it wasn’t a big injury.

“Unfortunately, he had the scan, and it is an important one – he will be out for around six to eight weeks.”

Palmer and Christopher Nkunku are likely to deputise up front, with the latter starting in the 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round defeat by Brighton.

Wingers Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke and Tyrique George were also mentioned as possible alternatives by the Chelsea boss.

Maresca’s side, who are fourth in the Premier League, visit Brighton again in the league on Friday.

The Italian confirmed Reece James is available for the match and that the right-back’s absence from Saturday’s FA Cup tie was a planned rest as he continues to be carefully managed having only just returned from a hamstring injury.