Armando Broja is still working his way back to full fitness (Picture: Getty Images)
Armando Broja still had ‘a bit of concern’ over his fitness during the international break, which is why he returned early to Chelsea, confirmed Albania boss Sylvinho.
The 22-year-old had seemingly recovered from the ACL injury which kept him out for the second half of last season and start of the current campaign, returning to the Chelsea team last month.
He has made three Premier League appearances this season, with two of them coming in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI, but there remains something of a worry over his fitness.
He was not involved as Albania beat Czech Republic last week, with Sylvinho saying: ‘As for Broja, I have to give bad news. He was with the team for only 2 days. After consulting with our doctors and Chelsea’s, he can’t make it, he won’t be ready for tomorrow.’
Given that Albania’s clash with Bulgaria on Tuesday is just a friendly, he was not risked for that either, with the former Arsenal and Barcelona defender explaining the situation.
‘What happened to Broja is very simple, it arose from a serious injury, he had been out for nine months,’ said Sylvinho.
‘He came back a few weeks ago, he played a few minutes in the first match, the same in the second. Then, one match before coming to us, he played 45 minutes and was replaced due to some physical problems. Normally he had a check-up at Chelsea before coming to us, the checks had gone well.
‘When he came here, he trained, but he still had a bit of concern: we sat down and spoke to the doctor, and we were in constant contact with Chelsea to find out about his injury.
‘It was clear that he wasn’t going to play and together with the club and the player we agreed that he would return to Chelsea and begin his recovery. That’s the whole story.’
The extent of Broja’s injury setback is not entirely clear and whether he will be fit to face Arsenal on Saturday when Chelsea host the Gunners at Stamford Bridge is not known yet.
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Broja returned early from international duty.