The return date for Chelsea striker Liam Delap has been revealed amid a recent injury to the player.
The Blues' £30m summer signing from Ipswich Town was substituted early on during his new side's 2-0 win over West London rivals Fulham before the international break.
It came as a real blow to Delap as he had started his second league game in succession for Chelsea and appeared to be gradually working his way up to full speed.
A hamstring issue was what forced the 22-year-old off, and left Chelsea having to scramble during the final days of the transfer window to make sure they had extra cover upfront.
The Premier League side ended up recalling Marc Guiu from a loan spell at Sunderland after ultimately failing to call off Nicolas Jackson's loan switch to Bayern Munich.
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Delap's return timeline
Per The Athletic's David Ornstein and Simon Johnson, Delap will miss matches over the next couple of months and only return to training in November.
However, the striker will not require surgery on his hamstring injury and should be fit to participate in matches soon after his training return.
🚨 Liam Delap expected to start training again in Nov + return to play soon after, ahead of festive schedule. No surgery for 22yo #CFC striker’s hamstring issue - recovery time approximately 10wks from when injury occurred. W/ @SJohnsonSport @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/uoCb97nCM2
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) September 9, 2025
Delap will be hoping he can be fit for Chelsea's big Champions League fixture against Barcelona and league game with Arsenal in two months time.
The Englishman's pending return should come in time to give Enzo Maresca another attacking option for the busy festive period.