Chelsea hit by virus with duo forced to stay at home before Brentford match

Liam Rosenior has revealed Chelsea are working to “contain a virus” in the squad with players and coaches forced to stay away from the training ground.

Rosenior oversaw his first home match in charge at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, with Arsenal winning the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.

And the new Blues boss has revealed a bug has hit his squad, forcing Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens to stay at home and miss training.

“He [Delap] is still at home at the moment recovering, as is Jamie Gittens,” Rosenior said. “The club doctors are looking to contain a virus.

“Because some of our staff have gone down as well. We had a meeting today, telling everyone to wash their hands and everything which is important.”

Chelsea were without Cole Palmer and Reece James against the Gunners, but the star duo could return to face Brentford at the weekend.

“They're both training today,” Rosenior added. “Hopefully they'll be in the squad on Saturday.”

While Romeo Lavia is also making progress in his recovery from his latest injury.

“Romeo is on the pitch, he is not with the group, but he is out on the pitch,” Rosenior added. “He is someone I would love to work with in the long-term because he's an outstanding player.

“It's important we don't push him too hard because when he is back, we want him to be back for good. No timeframe.”

After Robert Sanchez’s latest struggle in front of goal, with two errors leading to two Arsenal goals, Rosenior has outlined his stance over the position and competition for

“Every manager has a different idea,” he explained. “There are different triggers and patterns I'm asking Rob to do, and the whole team. It's never going to be perfect the right time. That will come. Rob has had an outstanding season,

“Filip showed promise against Charlton. It's the same for every position. I'm here to assess every position. I don't have No.1s and No.2s, that's not how I work. You have to earn your spot in this team. That is the message to all of the players. They have to earn their place in the team.”