Chelsea boss Graham Potter says Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will return to the squad for Thursday's west London derby against Fulham, but expects the Blues to be without Christian Pulisic for at least a couple of months.
US international Pulisic limped off in the first half of last week's Premier League defeat at home to Manchester City, a match which saw Aubameyang come on as substitute for Raheem Sterling early on only to be taken off again in the second half.
The former Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal and Barcelona forward then wasn't in the squad for the weekend defeat to City in the FA Cup, but Potter says he'll be back for the trip to Craven Cottage as he offered updates on a number of players.
"Pierre is fine and he will be in the squad," said Potter on Wednesday. "Christian [Pulisic] is a couple of months we think. Raheem is less, hopefully less than that.
"Ruben [Loftus-Cheek] and Ben Chilwell getting closer. Reece [James] was out on the grass today, not training with the team but on his own. N’Golo [Kante] is training on his own but a long way to go."
Potter was speaking shortly after Chelsea confirmed the arrival of forward Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid, and he may go straight into the squad for Thursday's clash.
"He's been training and had game time, so from a physical perspective he can go in," he said.
"It's always a bit of an unknown going from one country to another but how long that takes goes from player to player. I see a confident player and one that can impose himself on the game. He can take the ball, take it in tight spaces, make passes. He is a nice addition and I'm really looking forward to working with him."
Chelsea have lost six of their last nine matches in all competitions, but Potter insists he isn't feeling the pressure ahead of the derby clash despite mounting criticism.
"You have to understand it's part of the job. You have to look at my colleagues in a similar position, Pep was criticised in his first season, Mikel [Arteta], Jurgen Klopp in his early seasons," he said.
"Football is emotional and when you lose you don't think about it, you feel it: the pain, discomfort. Sometimes it's hard to understand the why and it's easier to blame somebody.
"I'm not saying I've been perfect but it's always very complex. You try to put it into perspective and remember I am capable.
"The results haven't been good enough for us and you have to respect and deal with that.
"If you look at what we have at the moment, and where we're at with the players we've got out, it can skew the picture a little bit. If we have those guys back, the picture changes.
"I don't think we're as far away as it looks from the outside. You have to go window to window to improve the squad, develop the culture and football idea. As much as these periods are not nice, you have to use them as a way to get stronger. But at the time they're not pleasant."
