Chelsea have suffered another injury blow as Wesley Fofana hobbled off in a friendly game on Tuesday, just days before the Premier League returns.

Chelsea defeated Brentford 5-1 in a behind-closed-doors friendly, but the success was overshadowed by Fofana hobbling out with a knee injury.

On Wednesday, the Blues will evaluate Fofana and determine the extent of his injuries.

Fofana, who joined Chelsea from Leicester for £70 million in the summer, has not played since injuring his knee against AC Milan in October.

While a dozen of his teammates traveled to Qatar for the World Cup, the defender remained behind to recuperate and prepare for the Premier League’s return on December 26.

Chelsea suffered a huge injury setback earlier this month in a pre-World Cup friendly against Aston Villa, when Armando Broja tore his anterior cruciate ligament and was declared out for the remainder of the season.

In better news, Reece James, who missed England’s World Cup campaign due to a knee injury, played an hour in the warm-up friendly against Brentford.

Chelsea’s first Premier League encounter following the resumption comes on December 27 at home against Bournemouth.