Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho could be out of action for at least four weeks after damaging ankle ligaments.
The Portugal international suffered the injury in the first half of Wednesday night’s 5-0 victory over Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
The former Porto player will now miss several key fixtures for the Blues and may be forced to undergo surgery in a bid to cure the problem.
A statement on the club’s official website read: “Chelsea can confirm that Ricardo Carvalho suffered ankle ligament damage in last night’s game against Portsmouth.
“The club will be able to determine over the next 24 hours whether the injury requires corrective surgery, however we can confirm at this point that he’ll be out for at least four weeks.”