Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Enzo Fernandez will miss Chelsea’s clash at Wolves on Christmas Eve.

The World Cup winner was subbed off after just 32 minutes of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup victory over Newcastle on Tuesday.

The midfielder looked poorly as he went off the pitch, with his manager later stating that he ‘felt sick’, though when Fernandez reappeared to applaud the crowd he looked very teary, suggesting that he may have picked up a painful injury.

And while those fears have been averted, the Argentina International has a hernia problem and will miss Blues’ next game, though it is hoped he will be back soon after.

‘Enzo is going to be out of the game against Wolverhampton,’ Pochettino said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

‘We are going to see if he can be involved again as soon as possible.

‘You already have the information that it was a hernia and he also didn’t feel well. We are going to give treatment with the doctor.

‘For me, it is not going to be a problem. I think he is going to be as soon as possible again with the group.’

With this update, Chelsea now have 10 players definitely ruled out of the Wolves clash, a list which includes captain Reece James who is sidelines for four months after undergoing hamstring surgery.

One player who is back from injury is Christoper Nkunku who made his debut as a substitute in the win over Newcastle, but Pochettino has ruled out the forward starting at Molineux. ‘To play from the beginning, I don’t know, it’s too early to see him start the game. [The] next few games and weeks we’ll consider him in the starting XI,’ Pochettino said in his pre-match press conference.

‘We need to be patient; we need to give time. We need to provide him the capacity to give his best form.

‘Everyone was excited because everyone wants to see him fit and involved in the game. We know very well the quality and capacity to help the team in a good way.’