Joao Pedro ruled out of Chelsea v Manchester United after thigh injury

Joao Pedro was absent from Chelsea’s match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in the matchweek 9 fixture of the 2026-27 English Premier League after sustaining a thigh injury in training. The Brazilian forward missed a third consecutive game for the Blues.

Chelsea, led by Xabi Alonso, hosted Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in their matchweek 9 fixture; the side have shown quality in the final third but have lacked consistency at times. In the first eight league games this season they secured four wins and suffered three defeats. Chelsea are currently sitting in fifth place on the points table. Cole Palmer returned to the squad after serving his suspension, but Alonso was managing other absences for the fixture.

Joao Pedro suffered the thigh injury during training and was unavailable for the Premier League contest. He had already sat out the league game against Tottenham Hotspur a week ago and missed Chelsea’s Carabao Cup tie at Liverpool. Xabi Alonso said, "He has an injury in his thigh and he’s going to be out for a few weeks. Let’s see how many; we don’t want to predict on that. But he will not be ready for the next games."

Other players who were unavailable for Chelsea included Maxence Lacroix, Jorrel Hato, Emiliano Martínez, Reece James, Aaron Anselmino and Jamie Gittens.

"Joao Pedro is a key player and we will miss him, but we have to be ready to deal with the injury, be competitive and try to win games with the players we have available," further said Alonso. A win in the match could help Chelsea move into the top four.