Guus Hiddink revealed Chelsea will await the results of MRI scans on Monday before they can assess how bad the injury suffered to Kurt Zouma is.
Zouma went down awkwardly in the second half of Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with the centre-back appearing in some discomfort as he was taken off.
United scored almost immediately after the substitution through Jesse Lingard but Diego Costa’s goal saved a late point for the home side.
Speaking about the defender’s injury after the game, Hiddink told Sky Sports: “Tomorrow we know more, but if you have this injury – and everyone has seen how bad it is – hyper-extension is always bad. I had this same problem once and it hurts. But let’s hope and see tomorrow what the MRIs will show.”
“I am happy with the reaction of the team. Manchester United did a good job in the first half and in the beginning of the second, they are not an easy team to beat. But we deserved a point.
“We dropped too far back after the first 20 minutes when they dominated us but later on we closed a little more. They made a beautiful goal – without good marking from our side – but after I think the team reacted very well.”
The Blues will desperately hope the injury Zouma suffered is not as bad as first thought, particularly with the controversy concerning John Terry’s future at the club already putting their defensive options under scrutiny.
Zouma has averaged eight defensive actions per game in the Premier League this season, the joint highest of any player at the club, and has generally been one of the first choice pairing throughout this campaign, completing the full 90 minutes on 20 occasions.
Despite United arguably being the better side for long periods of the game Chelsea maintained their unbeaten run under Hiddink, which now stretches back to December 19.
The Blues face Newcastle at home next weekend before two vital matches against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Manchester City in the FA Cup, with those competitions likely to be more of a focus than the Premier League considering their lowly league position.
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