Chelsea learn extent of Nicolas Jackson injury blow | OneFootball

Chelsea are set to be without striker Nicolas Jackson for a number of weeks due to injury in a sizeable blow for manager Enzo Maresca given the lack of cover up front.

Chelsea are in the market for a 'number nine' but, despite links with the likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Benjamin Sesko during January, the transfer window came and went without reinforcement.

Jackson, who is Chelsea's second-highest Premier League goalscorer this season behind Cole Palmer, missed last weekend's FA Cup tie against Brighton & Hove Albion. The hamstring problem that ruled him out of that game has been revealed by the Daily Telegraph to be severe enough to sideline the Senegal international until after the March international break.

Jackson initially picked up the injury during the Premier League clash with West Ham United at the start of February, withdrawn just after half-time. It wasn't thought too bad at the time, but a scan conducted on Wednesday has revealed more damage than expected.

Jackson has scored nine goals this season / Visionhaus/GettyImages

The upcoming international break is at the end of March, which means Jackson feasibly won't be back in contention until Chelsea host Tottenham Hotspur in their first April fixture.

Games against Brighton, Aston Villa, Southampton, Leicester City and Arsenal await the Blues, who also have a two-legged Conference League last 16 tie in the first half of March, with Jackson to miss those games as well after being added to this season's European squad for the knockout phase.

Teenage striker Marc Guiu is also nursing an injury of his own, which leaves no natural centre forward in the first-team squad. Christopher Nkunku, who nearly left the club in January, is set to be the biggest beneficiary as the next-best option.

The Frenchman has regularly played up front off the bench this season and has actually been relatively prolific given that his 31 appearances across all competitions have only amounted to 1,327 minutes and have still yielded 13 goals – primarily in Europe.

19-year-old Deivid Washington, who was tipped to join Santos on loan in January, is an alternative for Maresca, as is highly rated 17-year-old Shim Mheuka.