Chelsea have confirmed Malo Gusto has withdrawn from the France Under-21 squad as a result of the hamstring injury he suffered in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

Gusto limped off injured midway through the second half and, with fellow right-back Reece James also unavailable, had to be replaced by midfielder Moises Caicedo for the remainder of the game.

Unsurprisingly, he has now been released from international duty and will return to Chelsea for treatment and further scans. His involvement in the clash with Bournemouth on September 14 is now in clear doubt.

Gusto was not the only Chelsea star leaving the France camp as centre-back Wesley Fofana also withdrew from the senior setup, sparking fears that the 23-year-old’s rotten injury luck had struck once again.

Fortunately, the French Football Federation confirmed that Fofana’s withdrawal was not because of a fresh injury concern. Instead, the defender is simply returning to Chelsea to continue working on his physical condition in the wake of last season’s injury.

A cruciate ligament tear kept Fofana out for the entirety of last season but he has now played every minute of Chelsea’s three Premier League games so far, particularly catching the eye against Palace alongside defensive partner Levi Colwill.

Fofana is expected to be perfectly fine ahead of the Bournemouth game but doubts remain about Gusto which, coupled with James’ ongoing absence, threatens to cause a problem for manager Enzo Maresca.

James has served his four-game suspension but has been sidelined by injury anyway, and The Telegraph state he is still a handful of weeks away from returning to training.

Midfielder Romeo Lavia, however, is due back in training imminently and should be fit enough to face Bournemouth.

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