Chelsea are 'unlikely' to recall Ian Maatsen from his loan spell at Coventry City in the January transfer window despite Ben Chilwell suffering a serious knee injury.

The England international is set to miss the rest of the season after a knee ligament problem required surgery. As a result, it means Marcos Alonso is the only senior left wing-back at Stamford Bridge.

Therefore, it's an area the Blues are expected to look at in the New Year, with recalling the impressive Maatsen an option for Thomas Tuchel.

However, in a boost for Coventry, The Athletic have suggested that the plan is to let the 19-year-old remain with Mark Robins' side for the remainder of the campaign, as had been planned initially.

Maatsen has been a regular for the Sky Blues this season, featuring in 20 games and generally doing well as the side look to push for a top six finish.

He is expected to be involved again as Coventry host Millwall as they hope to close the gap on the play-off places.

The verdict

This is obviously good news for Coventry and you'd have to say that it's a move that will benefit the player as well.

Whilst returning to Chelsea would appeal to Maatsen, he needs to be playing regular football and given that Tuchel's men are competing for the Premier League and the Champions League, it's unlikely he would throw him in at the deep end.

So, Maatsen's focus will be Coventry and having a full season in the Championship will do a lot for his development.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.