Injured Alex joins Terry on Chelsea’s treatment table
CHELSEA’S defensive crisis deepened yesterday when the club announced centre-half Alex will miss up to eight weeks with an ongoing knee injury.
The Brazilian international has already been absent from the Blues’ last two Premier League fixtures against Fulham and Sunderland because of the problem, although he had linked up with Brazil for this evening’s friendly in Qatar.
A club statement read: “Further to the Chelsea medical team’s diagnosis, the Brazilian national team doctors agree that further investigation via arthroscopic surgery is required on the player’s right knee. That will take place over the coming days. He is expected to be out for approximately six to eight weeks.”
It is now likely that Alex and club captain John Terry, who yesterday revealed he could be out for months with a nerve injury in his right leg which has troubled him since the end of last season, will miss the entirety of a tricky looking December schedule which includes matches against Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham.
The pair missed Sunday’s drubbing at the hands of Sunderland and it appears they won’t be reunited at the heart of the champions’ defence any time soon.
A Chelsea spokesman yesterday confirmed that 29-year-old Terry would continue to receive expert medical care in the search for a permanent cure.
“John Terry reported for training yesterday morning.
“He met with club doctors and medical team and discussed plans to continue seeing various specialists to try to find a solution to the nerve problems he has been experiencing in his right leg,” said the spokesman.
Terry’s injury is a blow to country as well as club, but England boss Fabio Capello has backed his former captain’s decision to change his policy of playing through the pain barrier.
“It is a good decision,” said Capello. “He has played a lot of games with an injection.
“I spoke with him a few times and asked him whether he was fit to play. You can’t play with injections all the time. It is impossible.”