Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix is reportedly expected to miss around ten games due to a serious hamstring injury sustained in the game against Liverpool.

The Blues lost on penalties in their midweek Carabao Cup tie away to the Reds, and another blow in that game was Lacroix having to go off in clear discomfort.

It now seems the France international is not expected back until the New Year, meaning he could miss as many as ten games for Chelsea, according to BBC Sport.

This is known for being a particularly busy period of the season, with the games coming thick and fast around Christmas especially, so it’s a major issue for Xabi Alonso to navigate in the weeks ahead.

Maxence Lacroix is a big loss for Chelsea

Lacroix was an important signing for Chelsea this summer after impressing at his former club Crystal Palace, so it’s a big blow for Alonso to have to reshuffle his defence in his absence.

One reason CFC signed Lacroix was because they were already a bit short of quality at the back, so it will be interesting to see how they cope in the next couple of months with the likes of Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, and Josh Acheampong all having to start more games together.

Alonso tends to play three at the back, meaning it’s a really important position in his system, so the Chelsea manager could arguably have done with more options and better cover there anyway.

Chelsea’s defensive record under Alonso isn’t the best, so perhaps it’s debatable how important Lacroix has been anyway, with Jeremy Jacquet having previously been one of the west Londoners’ top targets in that position until LFC won the race for his signature.