Chelsea defender Thiago Silva remains a doubt for this weekend’s clash against West Ham. The Brazilian missed the match versus Brighton on Tuesday due to fatigue and it isn’t yet known whether he needs more time to recover.

He was pictured in training ahead of the game midweek but, in his pre-match press conference, manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed that the player needed to rest. At 36 years of age, the centre-back does need more than a few days between games to ensure he is 100% fit.

Mateo Kovacic’s return date is also uncertain. The Croatian international picked up a hamstring problem ahead of the match against Porto, and he has now missed three games, including the win over Manchester City in the FA Cup and the stalemate against the Seagulls.

Tuchel described the issue as a “little muscle injury” but hamstrings can take a while to heal properly, and even if he is fit to return to training later this week, he may only be ready to take his place on the bench versus West Ham.