It’s international break but club news are still oncoming. Even if those are not on the brightest side of the spectrum.

According to the always reliable @chelseayouth, youngster Ethan Ampadu is out for the season with a broken ankle.

Ethan Ampadu has withdrawn from the Wales squad and is likely to be out for the rest of the season after fracturing his ankle against Real Madrid in midweek. #CFC — Chelsea Youth (@chelseayouth) March 17, 2018

Ampadu was injured in Chelsea’s UEFA Youth League win at Real Madrid last Wednesday. He was withdrawn in the second half of the 4-2 win, after what the official Chelsea website describes as a “hefty collision”. Here’s a photo of him getting treatment before being taken off.

Thanks to the absurdly opaque injury reporting requirements of the English game — opaque, as in they seemingly don’t exist — there’s been no official confirmation by Chelsea of the 17 year-old’s injury.

One thing we do know for sure — Ampadu has been withdrawn from Wales’ squad for the China Cup friendlies, and it’s due to injury. That’s the official announcement from the Welsh FA. It’s a blow, because Ryan Giggs had been hoping to use the event as an opportunity to groom the talented young defender.

We shall wait until the club confirm the severity of his injury, with hopes that it is not as serious as initially reported. Nevertheless, we wish Ampadu a speedy recovery so he can continue his rise within Chelsea and the Welsh national team’s ranks.