Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen is a fitness doubt for the clash against Liverpool, after he suffered a freak eye injury that left him temporarily blinded on international duty.
The 22-year-old, who signed for Chelsea in the summer transfer window in a £20million deal from Villarreal, started Denmark Under-21s’ 2-0 win over Iceland on Tuesday.
But the shot-stopper was forced off following a freak collision with his team-mate Oliver Provstgaard, which left him with a painful eye injury. According to Football.London, Jorgensen ‘lost vision’ in his right eye for a short period, while Danish media reported Jorgensen experienced ‘problems with his head’.
Speaking after the match, Denmark U21s boss Steffen Hojer attempted to calm fears over the seriousness of Jorgensen’s injury and insisted his substitution was simply a precaution, citing potential concussion.
“It’s crazy how unlucky he is. Now that [concussion] quota must be used up,” Hojer told Danish outlet Bold. “It [the substitution] wasn’t planned.
“Instead, it’s a semi-bad habit we’ve got into with changing goalkeepers. He got hit down there and wasn’t quite at his best. We decided to take him out [of the game], so he didn’t have to go back to Chelsea with something or other.”
When asked how the stopper was after the game, he added: “I don’t know how he’s doing. But I don’t think it’s something that people should be worried about. We just didn’t want to take any chances.”
His team-mate Andreas Jungdal, who replaced Jorgensen in between the sticks, added: “I thought Filip looked fine after the collision, but then I was told that he had a headache.”
It represents a frustrating blow for Jorgensen, who is yet to feature in the Premier League for the Blues, with Robert Sanchez currently first choice under Enzo Maresca.
The Dane has looked solid when playing in the UEFA Conference League, producing a superb display in a 2-0 home win over Servette in the qualifiers, and kept a clean sheet in the 5-0 Carabao Cup win over Barrow.
In a recent interview, Jorgensen addressed his lack of playing time and his first few months at Cobham after his big-money move from Spain.
“I have enjoyed it very much, even more than I expected. Everyone has been very welcoming,” Jorgensen told the club’s website. “With the facilities and everyone to help you train hard and get to the highest level, it is a dream for someone like me who loves to train and develop.
“This year I want to play as much as I can, win the Conference League, win titles, and get better every day.”
He has returned to Chelsea to undergo further assessment ahead of the game against Liverpool on Sunday, with Marcus Bettinelli ready to step in should he not recover in time.
