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Chelsea winger Jamie Gittens has departed the England U-21 squad after sustaining an ankle injury on Friday.
Gittens, who arrived at Chelsea in a deal valued at up to $70.5 million (£52 million) last year, lasted only 39 minutes of his team's 4–2 victory over Kazakhstan before being forced off with a problem that ultimately saw him leave the stadium on crutches.
Head coach Lee Carsley later confirmed Gittens will head back to Chelsea for further assessment of the injury, ruling him out of the U-21s' next two fixtures and adding to his deeply frustrating start to the 2026–27 campaign.
"Jamie took a knock on his ankle," Carsley said. "We never take any risks.
"With players of this age, we don't keep them in camp to monitor their condition. He will go back."
Gittens's Nightmare 2026–27 Continues
The fact that Gittens, who turned 22 in August, is still featuring at U-21 level at this point in his career says a great deal about how his time at Chelsea has failed to live up to expectations.
Chelsea paid a substantial fee to bring Gittens in from Borussia Dortmund last summer, only for the winger to join a long list of costly signings who have struggled to make an impact at Stamford Bridge. His debut season produced just five Premier League starts before being cut short by injury in February.
He had been unable to win over former boss Enzo Maresca during his opening six months, netting just once in 27 appearances before his injury, and has continued to find it difficult to impress Xabi Alonso since the new manager took charge this summer.
The signing of Morgan Rogers, combined with the fact that Alonso's setup does not naturally accommodate wide players, means Gittens has yet to feature in the Premier League in 2026–27. Perhaps more concerning, however, is the limited game time he has received in the Carabao Cup.
A ten-minute substitute appearance against Luton Town was followed by a rare start against Leeds United, in which Gittens was withdrawn at halftime after a difficult opening 45 minutes. Chelsea netted all six goals of their comeback win without him on the field.
While Chelsea will naturally hope for encouraging news from scans on Gittens's ankle, Alonso will feel assured that his squad can manage without the 22-year-old, who was strongly linked with a transfer to Roma during the summer as part of the unsuccessful negotiations to acquire midfielder Manu Koné.
Gittens joins Cole Palmer in pulling out of an England camp, with "load management" given as the reason for the attacking midfielder's withdrawal. Striker João Pedro also missed Brazil duty due to an injury sustained shortly before the international break.