Raheem Sterling and Levi Colwill have found themselves back at Cobham during the international break for very different reasons but Mauricio Pochettino's worries for Chelsea don't end there. The England pair may well be spending the next 10 days based at the Surrey training ground but there are other issues still to deal with.

The Blues' treatment room remains packed with Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia still gearing up for a first appearance for the club whilst Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka are also out. Colwill himself was a surprise name missing from the squad against Manchester City despite being named by Gareth Southgate in his Three Lions group.

England have two games left of their Euro 2024 qualifying group and face Malta on Friday night, a game Colwill won't be part of after pulling out of the group due to a shoulder problem. Sterling, however, was simply left out by Southgate for a third time in a row.

Reece James decided against taking the call-up from his country having only just made a return to the starting line-up. One player that simply never misses matches is Conor Gallagher.

The 23-year-old has found himself as a staple for both club and country in the past 12 months with a growing level of importance. Last year he was commonly seen off the bench, starting half the league games in 2022/23 but featuring in all but three games - nobody had more appearances but he still recorded just the ninth most minutes.

For England the story has been similar. After making a breakthrough with Crystal Palace un 2021/22, scoring eight times from midfield - a tally that would have seen him finish as joint-second top scorer at Chelsea - he was handed a senior debut by Southgate. Since then he has been a regular in squads even if his role has been bit-part.

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Gallagher has started just three games for his country but has now appeared in six of the past eight games, mostly from the bench. His form this year has been unignorable though and with a slot in the centre open for next summer he is one of those competing to be in the first choice XI.

“He has got tremendous drive," Southgate said when asked about one of Mauricio Pochettino's favourites. "This week was a classic for me. He has come with a bit of a knock from the weekend but he walked through the door saying ‘it is a bit sore but I will be fine for Friday’.

"There was no way he was going home, there was no way he wasn't going to give himself every chance. He wasn't able to train for the first few days but he was determined he would be available and that, in a nutshell, is what is going to be one of his greatest strengths which will allow himself to achieve everything he might in the game because his mentality is outstanding.”

For the Blues it may be a worry to hear these words. Gallagher has already started every league game this season as well as two of the three Carabao Cup ties. Only Robert Sanchez and Thiago Silva have played more than him so far and his work has been integral to the development of the side even if Pochettino's men are still languishing in mid-table.

With the fourth most passes, third highest shot creating actions and then leader for tackles and interceptions in the squad, Gallagher is irreplaceable currently and has been the go-to captain in Reece James and Ben Chilwell's absence. With qualification for the Euros next summer as well there is a chance that Gallagher will start on Friday too, pushing his body even further.

For the Blues this would mean he remains sharp and motivated over the break, not that either have been a problem for him when getting less action for his country in the past, but it does risk aggravating any knocks he has from the Manchester City clash.

With the North Macedonia clash also coming up next week and some big matches for Gallagher and Chelsea upon his return it will be hearts in mouths time if he takes to the pitch. Given the success of the team and the chance to experiment, Cole Palmer has been named as James Maddison's replacement in the squad, the chances of Gallagher playing a larger role than usual has certainly increased as well.

For Chelsea they will be keen to see him return to west London safe and sound with more work to do in the coming months to repair a mediocre start to the season.