Chelsea left back Marc Cucurella has been ruled out for three to four weeks with a hamstring injury, according to Spanish outlet AS.
The 27-year-old has been one of the Blues’ most consistent players and has made 35 appearances in all competitions already this season.
With Levi Colwill suffering a season-long injury, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez missing action at some point this season, as well as Cole Palmer’s struggle with full fitness, there have been fears that the Spaniard could also be among the casualties of Chelsea’s long run of schedule last campaign, where they participated on all fronts, including the Club World Cup.
No other Chelsea player played as many games as Cucurella did last season, logging 4,346 minutes across 54 matches.
The ripple effects are now beginning to show: he was withdrawn at half-time in the 2-2 draw against Leeds United and was completely left out of the Hull City trip for the same injury.
Blow
Speaking after the game, Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior confirmed the former Brighton & Barcelona player was ‘not fit’, saying.
‘At the moment he’s not fit,’ the Chelsea head coach said. ‘There is an issue with his hamstring.
‘I don’t know—I can’t give you a time frame on that at the moment.’
However, there has now been an update on the timeline and nature of the injury.
According to AS, Cucurella was unavailable against Hull after undergoing tests on Thursday to determine the nature of the injury.
It has now been confirmed that Cucurella has suffered a hamstring injury and is set to be ruled out for the next four to six weeks, according to the report.
The Spanish outlet adds that Spain national team boss Luis de la Fuente is counting on him for the World Cup, and if treatment goes to plan, he’s expected to be available for the Finalissima clash against world champions Argentina on March 27.
Chelsea’s toughest run of fixtures is in March, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and Everton.
Should Cucurella return at that time, it’ll be a timely boost for Rosenior’s side to navigate their way through those fixtures unscathed.
