The new season hasn’t kick started yet but Chelsea is facing a huge setback even before the take the field to play their 1st match. Chelsea midfield dynamo Michel Essien is likely to miss six months of the Premier League campaign in order to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus. Essien is said to be unavailable until January 2012. Essien is a key player for Chelsea and he will surely be missed by new boss Andre Villas-Boas.
Michael Essien could miss 6 months of football
Injuries are not unknown to Essien, he picked up his 1st knee injury back in the African Nations and has been struggling since. He suffered the same knee problem in the 2008/09 season where he had to undergo surgery. He missed a large chunk of Chelsea’s matches and also didn’t participate in the World Cup. The Ghanaian ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments and meniscus in his right knee in last week’s pre-season training. A statement issued in the Chelsea website stated that – “Following injury to his right knee in training last week Michael Essien had surgery today to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus. The surgery was successful and Michael’s full recovery could take up to six months.”
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas said – “Everyone wishes Michael well for his recovery. His team-mates and all the staff and I look forward to helping him return to playing as soon as possible.”
Essien’s injury might force Andre Villas-Boas to search for a proper replacement in the transfer market. With Modric linked heavily with Chelsea we could see the Blues making serious surge to sign the dynamic midfielder from Tottenham. Chelsea can also find a cheaper alternative in Joao Mutinho, the Porto midfielder excelled under the tutelage of Andre Villas-Boas and will be tempted to join his former manager.
These type of injuries are career threatening, Owen Hargreaves, Sebastian Diesler, Dean Ashton etc. all suffered such injuries which cut short their footballing career. We hope that Essien recovers well, so that we can see the man of three lungs back in action as soon as possible.
Tags: Andre Villas Boas, Chelsea, EPL, Football, Michel Essien, Premier League
