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Frank Lampard confirms extent of Chelsea star’s injury.
Chelsea interim manager Frank Lampard revealed that centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly will be out for ‘weeks, not days’ after suffering a muscle injury against Real Madrid.
Against Los Blancos, the seasoned defender executed a superb recovery challenge but immediately collapsed to the ground in pain and had to be hauled off.
Koulibaly will now be sidelined from this weekend’s match against Brighton and the return leg against Real, according to Lampard, who even hinted that the Senegal international may be absent for a little while longer.
“He won’t be available for either game,” Lampard confirmed. “A matter of weeks rather than days.
“He’s a very good, very experienced player. People talk a lot about our squad, Champions League squad is different to Premier League and a disappointment but also an opportunity.”
Later, Lampard stated that he would rotate his team and offer playing time to those who did not participate in the match against Real. As a result, Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile, the latter of whom is not a member of the European squad, may anticipate playing time at the back.
Just how Chelsea’s defence will look next season remains to be seen. Koulibaly is among those facing an uncertain future alongside Cesar Azpilicueta and Marc Cucurella, while the future of young Levi Colwill is also a pressing issue.
Colwill is at Brighton on loan, although he had a standout Premier League first season. Manchester City and Liverpool are interested in pulling the 20-year-old away from Stamford Bridge in the summer when he will enter the final two years of his contract, as exclusively revealed in March.
Chelsea, though, thinks Colwill has a future at the club and will try to sign him to a new contract. though, the club currently has a policy that any player whose contract is about to expire in the next 24 months will be subject to a sale if new terms cannot be reached.