Injuries are an awful thing whenever they occur, but they take on an added level of negativity when they occur during a meaningless friendly. You always hate to see someone get hurt, but it’s even worse when the setback occurs in an exhibition match. Chelsea beat London rivals Arsenal 3-0 at the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing on Saturday, but they saw their 29-year-old winger Pedro get banged up pretty bad.
The Spaniard collided with Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina, and suffered multiple fractures from the impact.
The good news is he won’t miss much time.
“The situation was more serious than I thought because I hoped it would only be concussion and instead he had multiple fractures,” Chelsea Manager Antonio Conte said about Pedro’s situation.
“With a mask, and in around 10 days, he can come back to work with us.”
Pedro may or may not be ready when the Blues take on Arsenal again, next time at Wembley Stadium, for the Community Shield on August 6. The reigning champions begin their Premier League title defense on August 12 against Burnley, and they should have the services of Pedro for that clash.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV.
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