Chelsea midfielder Denis Zakaria has been ruled out of action for four weeks due to an injury sustained in the Blues’ Premier League defeat to Fulham.
The Juventus loanee struggled at first in West London, but after several impressive displays, he started to consistently make Graham Potter’s starting lineup.
Zakaria was given the go-ahead in the engine room alongside Mateo Kovacic at Craven Cottage on Thursday evening, but he only lasted 56 minutes before being withdrawn.
Chelsea lost 2-1 without Zakaria on the field, and subsequent tests revealed a moderate quadricep injury for the Switzerland international.
Potter confirmed to reporters after Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday that Zakaria would be forced to miss the rest of the month as Chelsea’s injury crisis worsens.
“Denis is going to be [out for] four weeks, top of his quad, so that’s a blow for us. Hopefully, he can be sooner,” Potter told a press conference.
Zakaria has only scored once in nine games for Chelsea since joining on loan in the summer, having to wait until November 2 to make his debut against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
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The 26-year-old scored in his first game for the club but did not make his Premier League debut until the 2-0 win over Bournemouth on December 27 – his first of four consecutive starts.
With Zakaria out, Chelsea are now missing no fewer than ten players due to injury or suspension, with Joao Felix serving the first of a three-game ban on Sunday after being sent off against Fulham.
Chelsea can choose to make Zakaria’s contract permanent in the summer for a fee of €33m (£29.2m), but it’s unclear if the Blues will do so given the possibility of a midfield reshuffle.
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