Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount could miss England’s World Cup qualifiers next week due to infected wisdom teeth.
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel revealed Mount has been struggling with a dental issue but could still feature in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Burnley.
Mount has missed Chelsea’s victories at Newcastle and Malmo, but has returned to training this week.
Tuchel insisted however that Stamford Bridge medics want to see how he responds to treatment before making a call on whether he can link up with his national team next week.
England host Albania on November 12 before travelling to San Marino three days later.
“It’s a tricky one; he was ill but the reason is his wisdom teeth,” said Tuchel.
“This is the reason for the illness and for the feeling like an illness, there’s a bit of an infection.
“He was back in training yesterday and today. He lost a bit of weight, he cannot eat properly. So he takes medication, and let’s see.
“He’s in the squad for tomorrow, and can play some minutes. But we will need to wait for the reaction because it seems like a proper treatment has to be done.”
Gutted to have missed the game but what a performance from the lads to get the win!— Mason Mount (@masonmount_10) October 30, 2021
Chelsea will host Burnley on Saturday bidding to consolidate their Premier League lead, but must do without the still-sidelined Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.
Marcos Alonso has picked up a minor ankle issue and will also miss out.
Mount missed England’s last set of fixtures despite being named in the initial squad by manager Gareth Southgate, and Tuchel admitted that could yet happen again.
The German insisted however that the Blues will do everything in their power to give the 22-year-old the best chance of being available.
“I expect him (to join up with England) if he feels and if everything is OK, but the tendency that I know right now is that we need proper treatment for the wisdom teeth,” said Tuchel.
“So it can be that he’s out or he joins maybe the England squad a bit later. We will always push and encourage him, there is no doubt, we are proud when he’s selected, he’s proud when he’s selected.
“So there are no tactics behind the backs or behind closed doors that we try to manage, trying to keep Mason here; it’s exactly the opposite.
“But we have full responsibility for his health, and there is something going on which we need to take care about.
“The treatment needs to be done. This is the first priority, and we will do everything to make it happen that maybe Mason can also join the England squad.”
