Chelsea Star To Miss Man Utd Clash After Being Hospitalised With Mystery Illness

Chelsea striker Diego Costa is not only suffering from a groin injury but he has also been forced to spend time in hospital with a mystery stomach bug, according to the Telegraph.

Costa has missed Chelsea’s last two games against Crystal Palace and Maribor and it was initially thought the striker had suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury that’s plagued him in recent months.

However, the Telegraph claim that the 26-year-old actually picked up a groin problem while away with Spain earlier this month for their Euro 2016 qualifiers against Slovakia and Luxembourg – although it’s not known how serious the new injury is.

If that wasn’t worrying enough for Chelsea fans the newspaper suggests that upon his return from the international break, Costa had also picked up a mysterious stomach bug that forced him to spend time in hospital last week.

Chelsea haven’t disclosed the exact nature of the illness but it’s understood that the striker had symptoms similar to a severe stomach bug and it explains why Jose Mourinho was so frustrated by the condition of his star forward when he returned from international duty.

The Portuguese coach claimed on Tuesday night after their 6-0 win over Maribor that he didn’t expect the Spanish hitman to be fit for Sunday’s big clash against Manchester United.

Like the rest of the Chelsea squad, Costa didn’t train on Wednesday but he would surely have been in at Cobham doing some sort of fitness work if there was any chance of him making the trip to Old Trafford, so his inclusion looks highly unlikely.

The fresh doubts over Costa puts extra focus on the fitness of Loic Remy. The Frenchman was forced off with a groin problem during Chelsea’s win on Tuesday night and Mourinho initially ruled him out of this weekends game.

However, Remy told reporters on Wednesday that he didn’t think the injury was serious and he was still hopeful of playing some part against United. He said:

“We will see with the scan,”

“I really hope it is not too bad. Fortunately, I stopped playing because I felt something. My groin. It was before I scored, it was a bit stiff – even my run did not feel very comfortable. if I’m not feeling very good it’s better to leave for another player who is 100 per cent.

“Yes it’s frustrating, because I had a chance to play because Costa is injured, but I am not afraid. I don’t think it is really bad. We will check and I really hope to play again this weekend.” Remy is quoted as saying by the Telegraph

If Remy joins Costa on the sidelines then Mourinho will have no choice but to start Didier Drogba up front on Sunday. The Ivorian has only just returned from an ankle knock but did get through 75 minutes on Tuesday night and got himself on the score-sheet.