Maxence Lacroix picked up a hamstring injury in the League Cup match against Liverpool at Anfield midweek, and unfortunately it sounds like that could keep him out for a while.
According to The Athletic, Lacroix is “feared to be out until the new year”, so the next couple months, rather than just the next few weeks until after the next international break, as Xabi Alonso had put it after the game. It wouldn’t be the first time that Alonso undersold the severity of an injury (in fact, he’s done it basically
every time).
While Chelsea did manage to keep a clean sheet yesterday, Lacroix’s absence will have a big impact on our defense. He had been nearly ever present since his signing from Crystal Palace in the summer, anchoring Alonso’s standard back-three setup. Whether we stick with that formation, or go with a back-four like in the last two games, his minutes will have to go to someone else. Yesterday, that someone else was Wesley Fofana, but he put in yet another error-strewn performance that only went unpunished by the grace of Manchester United’s poor finishing. Academy duo Levi Colwill and young Josh Acheampong, whose emergence has been lovely to see, may have to hold down the fort by themselves for a while.
The 26-year-old Lacroix has been very durable throughout his career, and in fact did not miss a game due to injury in his two seasons at Palace. His only major injury was a dislocated shoulder he had suffered at the end of the 2022-23 season at Wolfsburg, which cost him the final month. So, hopefully this is just a one-off occurrence and we make sure he comes back fully fit from it.
