"We need to assess him" - Mauricio Pochettino reveals why Moises Caicedo was unavailable for Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Moices Caicedo was ruled out of Chelsea's Premier League encounter at Bournemouth on Sunday (September 17) due to injury. The Ecuadorian midfielder picked up a knock on his knee while on international duty.

The Blues came to the Vitality Stadium looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest in their last game before the international break. When quizzed about the £115 million signing, Pochettino said that the club's medical staff were accessing him after he picked up a knock.

He was quoted by the club's official website as saying:

“Moises Caicedo arrived back from international duty with a knock in his knee. We need to assess him in the next few days but he wasn’t available for today, that’s why he not here.”

The latest injury saw Chelsea take on Bournemouth with just 14 senior players in the squad. Pochettino had to include two goalkeepers and call on Alex Matos, Ronnie Stutter, Deivid Washington and Alfie Gilchrist to the first-team to make up the numbers. Ian Maatsen, Ben Chilwell and new signing Cole Palmer are the only players on the bench who have played for the first-team before today.

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Chelsea's injury issue gets worse after the international break

Chelsea have been hit with an injury crisis this season and have a whole XI out injured. Marcus Bettinelli, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah, Romeo Lavia, Carney Chukwuemeka, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, and Armando Broja were also not in the squad today.

The Blues are hoping that James, Badiashile and Broja are back in the next few weeks. However, Nkunku and Chukwuemeka are expected to be out at least until the festive fixtures in December.

Caicedo joined the Blues this summer after rejecting Liverpool, despite the Reds launching a stunning £110 million bid for the Ecuadorian at the last minute.