Jamie Gittens' international break has come to an abrupt end. The Chelsea winger has been withdrawn from England's Under-21 squad and sent back to his club for treatment, with head coach Lee Carsley confirming the youngster sustained an injury during Thursday's European Championship qualifier.

Forced off during Kazakhstan win

Gittens was forced out of England's 4-2 victory over Kazakhstan in the 39th minute with what appeared to be an ankle problem, and was later spotted on crutches. The 20-year-old has already been ruled out of the Young Lions' final two qualifying matches, and the extent of the setback is yet to be disclosed by Chelsea.

Carsley was quick to play down any risk-taking, explaining why the winger was allowed to head back to Stamford Bridge rather than remaining with the group. "Jamie got a kick on his ankle. We never take any risks," Carsley said, as quoted by The Sun. "With the age of these players, we don't ever keep them in camp to see how they are. He will go back."

Chelsea's limited-view winger

The news is a potential blow for Chelsea as they prepare for their next outing against Bournemouth on October 10. Since taking over, head coach Xabi Alonso has handed Gittens just two EFL Cup appearances, only one of which came from the start.

Gittens has found game time hard to come by since joining the Blues from Borussia Dortmund at the start of last season, registering just 29 appearances in total and netting only a single goal. With the full diagnosis still pending, Chelsea will hope the injury is a minor one as the winger looks to force his way into more regular first-team contention.