Estevao had to leave the match in the first minutes between Chelsea and Manchester United. This would be his third game since returning from another injury, and the club and Brazil are beginning to worry about his physical state.
Chelsea suffered a hard home loss to Manchester United and, in addition, lost Estevao to injury again. The young Brazilian missed more than a month between February and March, and now a new muscle injury has forced him to leave the game at 15 minutes. A clear concern for Ancelotti, who has him among the regulars for the World Cup.
Estevao missed the March call-up due to the injury he sustained weeks ago and is now relapsing, having barely played in four matches. Only in two of them did he start. The loss is already key for Chelsea, both in their slim chances of reaching a Champions League spot and in the FA Cup semifinal against Leeds.
In the same campaign, he also missed two Chelsea matches in December due to a muscle injury, and the one in February was the most severe, forcing him to miss six matches. Now Estevao must be patient to get ready once again, although his desperation was evident when he left for the bench after having started the duel against United with a couple of standout actions.
The medical tests performed on Sunday confirmed an injury similar to the last one suffered. If in February he suffered it in his left thigh, now the right one is the damaged one. The recovery time is expected to be about 20 days, so he could be available for the FA Cup final, if Chelsea reaches it. It will be held on May 17, and one day later, Ancelotti will give the World Cup roster.
At the start of his career at Palmeiras, where he debuted as a budding star, he also suffered a couple of injuries that forced him to take time off. First, an ankle sprain in July 2024, and barely a month after recovering, he suffered his first muscle injury. In that period, he could not play a total of eight matches.
The injury history is beginning to worry Estevao, who, although he has notably developed his physique in recent months, has seen the demands of the calendar and the campaign take a toll. His freshness must be key for Brazil in the World Cup, but for that, he must leave behind physical problems, even more so in such a compressed and demanding tournament.
For Ancelotti, it would be dramatic not to be able to count on Estevao. After Rodrygo's injury, the presence of the young Chelsea player becomes indispensable for the Italian, who nevertheless has sufficient resources, as shown in the last two matches.
Luiz Henrique has shone in every appearance in the national team shirt and would be the most natural alternative on the right wing. On the other hand, one must not forget Raphinha's ongoing physical problems during the season, which could further diminish the attack of the five-time world champions.
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