Graham Potter reveals why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was missing from his Chelsea squad

Chelsea boss Graham Potter has said a back injury prevented Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from playing in his side’s FA Cup defeat by Manchester City.

Chelsea suffered their second loss to City in four days after losing 1-0 in the Premier League on Thursday and 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Fans had questioned whether Aubameyang’s dismal performance on Thursday was the reason he was dropped from Potter’s team on Sunday. However, the Chelsea boss set the record straight.

Graham Potter said a back injury prevented Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from playing in his side’s FA Cup defeat by Manchester City on Sunday afternoon

Chelsea suffered their second loss to Manchester City in four days, losing 4-0 in the FA Cup

Aubameyang started Chelsea’s draw with City on the bench but came on after just five minutes when Raheem Sterling was forced off injured.

However, Potter was less than impressed with the 33-year-old’s performance and decided to replace him with Omari Hutchinson in the second half.

Fans took to social media after the game to ask if Aubameyang would ever show up in a Chelsea shirt again.

That’s why people started talking when Aubameyang’s name was missing from the squad list on Sunday afternoon.

Fans had wondered if Aubameyang’s dismal performance on Thursday (pictured above during the game) was the reason he was dropped from Potter’s team on Sunday

Aubameyang started Chelsea’s Premier League game against Manchester City on the bench but came on after five minutes when Raheem Sterling was forced off injured

However, Potter has dispelled any potential rumors by explaining how the forward missed the game due to a back injury.

After the game, Potter said, “Auba had a pain in his back before this one. ‘Christian [Pulisic] opened his knee the other day in the game, we’re still analyzing it, but it will take weeks for him.

“Rahem [Sterling] had action in the first minute of the game, he felt something in his hamstring and we’re still analyzing that, no timeline yet.

However, the Chelsea manager was less than impressed with the 33-year-old’s performance

Therefore, Potter decided to replace him with Omari Hutchinson in the second half

Aubameyang will have been disappointed to miss the game as Chelsea’s FA Cup run has come to an end.

The Blues were knocked out of the competition on a brace from Riyad Mahrez and goals from Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez.

Chelsea fans were far from impressed after the game, demanding the return of Thomas Tuchel and Roman Abramovich.

Potter, who took over in September following Tuchel’s sacking, admitted he can sympathize with Chelsea’s fans.

Chelsea were knocked out of the FA Cup on Sunday thanks to a brace from Riyad Mahrez and goals from Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez

After the game, Potter said his side was “suffering” but insisted they were working harder

“We’re clearly suffering, and it’s not nice at all,” Potter said. “There is nothing we can do but do our job better and work harder.

“You can understand the frustration of the fans and we respect that. There are always different opinions and criticism because the results have not been positive.

“We’re going through a bad moment right now and sometimes when you have them you need something to blame. We have to stick together and keep working.”