Enzo Maresca jokes he might need to play HIMSELF up entrance amid Chelsea’s rising damage issues – with Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu each out

Enzo Maresca joked he may need to play up entrance himself after accidents to Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu, together with an absence of motion within the January switch market, left Chelsea dealing with a striker scarcity forward of tomorrow’s FA Cup journey to Brighton.

Even Shumaira Mheuka, the 17-year-old academy graduate who has been on the fringes on the primary staff this season, is overcoming a thigh challenge with Maresca contemplating utilizing Cole Palmer or Christopher Nkunku – neither of whom are strikers – out of necessity.

Jackson picked up a minor hamstring drawback in Monday’s 2-1 Premier League comeback win over West Ham and, whereas Chelsea are hopeful he won’t be sidelined for lengthy, Maresca admitted it could be a ‘threat’ to make use of him on the Amex Stadium. His 19-year-old understudy Guiu can be lacking for a number of weeks after hurting his higher leg in the identical recreation.

Chelsea ended the January window with a weaker assault than the one that they had at its begin as they loaned Joao Felix, who might have been an choice for main the road, to AC Milan with out bringing in a brand new ahead. Felix scored on his Milan debut in midweek.

Mail Sport requested Maresca at right this moment’s press convention to listing his striker choices if he’s with out each Jackson and Guiu at Brighton, and the Blues boss responded by pointing to himself. Smiling, he continued: ‘Christo has performed already as a 9. I had Cole taking part in as a 9 up to now. We are able to discover some totally different resolution.

‘It’s unhealthy luck that from the identical recreation (towards West Ham), two strikers each have an damage. Fortuitously the Nico one appears to be like fairly good so it’s not an issue. It is a disgrace for Marc.

Maresca can be missing in choices up high, with each Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu sidelined

‘The rationale why Marc was nonetheless right here in January was as a result of I can see, day-to-day, that he’s rising, enhancing, getting higher. It’s a disgrace now that he’s injured. The longer term will for positive be 100 per cent with him as a result of he’s an excellent participant.’

On Felix, who Chelsea allowed to go away solely six months right into a seven-year contract, Maresca rebuffed solutions that he didn’t need to signal the 25-year-old Portuguese who price £46.3million from Atletico Madrid in the summertime.

‘If Joao was right here, it’s as a result of I needed to signal Joao,’ Maresca stated. ‘I don’t know concerning the future. It’s sophisticated to speak concerning the future.’

Chelsea had till 11pm on Thursday to verify their up to date Convention League squad which can be legitimate all the way in which to the ultimate in Wroclaw on Could 28.

With solely three new additions allowed as per UEFA guidelines, they’ve introduced in Palmer, Trevoh Chalobah and their solely January signing in 19-year-old midfielder Mathis Amougou, who joined from Saint-Etienne for £12m. Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia won’t play a component within the European competitors as they’re nonetheless getting back from massive accidents.

Palmer was beforehand not noted of the league part in a bid to handle his minutes, however the departure of Felix, who was his chief deputy at No 10, means he faces a demanding finish to the season. ‘I don’t assume it’s one thing that’s going to make a distinction for Cole,’ Maresca countered earlier than including on whether or not Chelsea might want to revisit signing a striker when the window subsequent opens. ‘For positive, in the summertime, we’ll see if we want one thing totally different, not solely by way of striker however generally. From there, we determine.’