Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has vowed to “come back stronger” after he underwent an operation on an ankle injury.
The Spanish international picked up the issue in the 2-0 defeat to Everton earlier this month and, at the weekend, he posted on Instagram to provide an update on his fitness:
Cucurella has been in and out of the starting lineup this campaign, having made 12 appearances in all competitions, but it now looks like the Blues will be without him for an extended period of time.
How long will Cucurella be out for?
It is believed that the 25-year-old will be sidelined until sometime in February, meaning he could be out for up to three months.
Cucurella’s absence will be a blow for manager Mauricio Pochettino, who already has nine other first team players on the treatment table.
Will Chelsea need to sign a replacement in January?
It’s unlikely that the Blues will delve into the transfer market to replace Cucurella. Levi Colwill has been mostly used as a fullback since the start of the season by Pochettino so the 20-year-old is expected to provide cover in the short term.
Not only that but Ben Chilwell is nearing his return from a hamstring problem. The vice-captain has not played since the end of September, having sustained the injury in the dying moments of the 1-0 win over Brighton. At the time, it was estimated that he would be out of contention for at least two months but he has already been out for considerably longer than that.
However, the defender has been pictured out on the training pitch over the past couple of weeks so it is hoped that he will complete his rehabilitation and be back available for first team selection very soon.
