London: Chelsea have been dealt a major blow after the Spanish Football Federation claimed striker Alvaro Morata had suffered a grade-two hamstring injury that could rule him out for over a month.
Morata was forced off in the 35th minute of Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat by Manchester City and head coach Antonio Conte admitted he took a risk over the fitness of the Spaniard by starting him in the match. Conte suggested that Morata’s injury was not serious, but in confirming that the striker had pulled out of the Spain squad for the games against Albania and Israel, the Spanish Federation revealed the 24-year-old had undergone an MRI scan that showed the extent of his hamstring problem.
Although no official timescale has been put on Morata’s recovery, losing the record signing for any length of time will be a headache for Conte. Since joining from Real Madrid for £57 million (Dh277 million) in the summer, Morata has scored seven goals and quickly established himself as one of Chelsea’s key players. Tellingly, Conte opted to replace Morata with Willian against City which only increased theories that he does not trust Michy Batshuayi in big games.
Chelsea travel to Crystal Palace after the international break, which Morata appears likely to miss, and face Roma twice in the Champions League during October.
Manchester United also travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on November 5 in a game that Conte will be desperate to win. (The Daily Telegraph)
