Chelsea star ruled out for ‘a few weeks’

Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has revealed that Joao Pedro is expected to be sidelined for the next few weeks with a thigh injury.

The forward missed the defeat to Tottenham on Saturday but Alonso says he is unable to put an exact timescale on his return.

“He has an injury to his thigh and is going to be out for a few weeks,” Alonso said. “Let’s see how many.”

But the Blues boss insists his side can cope without the Brazilian, who has scored five goals in six Premier League games this season.

“This is why you build a squad. For sure, some players are important, but this can happen,” he added.