Chelsea’s centre back Kurt Zouma will be out of action for about six months after suffering a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury during the club’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United at the weekend.
Zouma has forced Gary Cahill out of the first XI after forming a strong partnership with Chelsea captain John Terry in the back four. He landed awkwardly after jumping for a high ball and was stretchered off. He tweeted saying, “Scan today has shown I injured my anterior cruciate ligament. I will have surgery this week and will come back stronger”.
The club confirmed that he will be out for around six months meaning that he’ll likely miss France’s bid in the Euros in the summer. He has made 32 appearances for the Blues so far and appeared recently for his national team in October.
Whilst Chelsea are bitterly disappointed by the injury to the 21-year-old it may present some of their other players with opportunities. Cahill, for example, will likely be brought back into the fray now after suggesting during the January transfer window that he would consider leaving the club in the search for more regular playing time.
Likewise, Terry confirmed on Sunday that he has had no communication from the club regarding a new contract. He left the club’s hierarchy red-faced when he went public with his dissatisfaction at his current contract situation as they were hoping to sort something out closer to the end of the season.
Instead Terry made suggestions that he was happy to head abroad to continue his career at the end of this season. The injury to Zouma means that Roman Abramovich may have to re-think his approach to the Terry contract negotiations, either bringing forward the possibility of an extension or else looking elsewhere for the future of the Chelsea defence.