Muscle issues keep Fidel Chaves off the pitch once more, a setback for the Huelva midfielder who has been held back by his hamstrings. After a brief recovery period, he has again fallen to a problem in his right leg, extending a cycle of interruptions that began in late August and stretched into mid-September when the team did not face Real Sociedad and Villarreal. The recent recurrence reinforces concerns about his availability as the season moves forward and adds to a sequence of interruptions that have disrupted his rhythm on the field.
Chaves exited yesterday’s training session at the Díez Iborra field about thirty minutes before the end of practice. He left with a visibly frustrated mood, and it was the team delegate who escorted him to the stadium. The mood around the camp darkened quickly as the medical staff evaluated him. Early prognoses indicate a two-week layoff, though the exact return timeline will hinge on how the leg responds to treatment and rest. In practical terms, this means his participation in the upcoming league fixture against Rayo Vallecano in Madrid on Monday, October 3, at 21:00, appears unlikely. The injury also casts doubt on his involvement in Elche’s next home game scheduled against Real Mallorca on Monday, October 10, at nine o’clock, pending the evolution of his recovery.
There was no sign of Chaves with the group this morning. Absent as well were several teammates who continue rehabilitation programs, including Pedro Bigas, who is probably not cleared for action against Rayo, and Diego Gonzalez, who underwent additional diagnostic tests alongside club recuperators. In the Díez Iborra facilities, all three were seen training apart from the main squad, maintaining individual rehab routines while the rest of the players prepared on the pitch. Tete Morente and Javier Pastore returned to the grass, while the Argentine forward spoke with the press contact earlier in the day to explain that his left calf has been a source of muscular trouble. His remarks underscored the careful approach the club is taking with his conditioning through the week of fixtures ahead.
Meanwhile, Omar Mascarell continued to work with the rehab team, led by trainer Aitor Soler, who provided updates indicating a healthy progression in his Achilles tendon care and a readiness assessment that pointed toward potential availability for the next scheduled match against Rayo on Monday the 3rd. The emphasis remains on gradual load management, targeted strength work, and careful monitoring of pain signals to prevent a reoccurrence that could stretch the impact of these setbacks across a longer stretch of the campaign.
For the rest of the squad, the general training session ran with its typical structure, featuring group drills and tactical work that help the team maintain cohesion despite the ongoing injury challenges. The morning session, which usually runs from around 10:30 am to noon, was open to media for a quarter of an hour, providing a snapshot of a team balancing the pressures of a congested calendar with the need to protect players while staying competitive in domestic league play. The day’s exercises emphasized ball work, positional drills, and short-sided games designed to preserve match fitness in the absence of several first-team players. The medical staff remained vigilant, adjusting individual plans as needed and coordinating closely with the coaching staff to ensure a consistent approach to return-to-play criteria. The club, for its part, stressed that every effort would be made to accelerate safe comebacks without compromising long-term health. In this period, the focus is on controlled increments in workload and a steady path back to full participation for the sidelined players, including Chaves, Bigas, and Gonzalez. The overall message from the camp is clear: patience, precision, and persistence are essential to rebuilding form and confidence after these stretches of inactivity.