Official: Chelsea confirm crushing blow as key player faces spell on sidelines due to knee ligament injury

Chelsea have confirmed that Thiago Silva will be out of action for a few weeks. The Brazilian suffered a knee ligament injury in the 2-0 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday (February 26).

Graham Potter has a fresh headache at Stamford Bridge as his main defender has been ruled out. The manager is already under pressure as Chelsea's form has been horrid, with just two wins in their last 16 matches.

Nizaar Kinsella of the Evening Standard has reported that Silva will be out for 4-6 weeks following the injury. However, Chelsea have not issued a timeline of the recovery, but posted a statement on the club website:

"Having sustained a knee injury during the first half of Sunday's match against Tottenham Hotspur, Thiago underwent further assessment and a scan on his return to the training centre on Monday."

"Scan results from those assessments have confirmed damage to Thiago's knee ligaments and he will now work closely with the club's medical department during his rehabilitation to return to action as soon as possible."

Potter was asked about the injury that led to Silva's substitution in the first half of the match. He did not have all the details and said:

"Hopefully it's not too serious but I haven't spoken to the doctor enough to have a diagnosis yet."

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Thiago Silva signed new contract at Chelsea earlier this month

Thiago Silva penned a new deal at Stamford Bridge in February to extend his stay at the club by another season. The defender has been in top form despite being 38 years old and has easily been their best player this season.

Speaking to the club website after penning the contract extension, Thiago said:

"I am honestly so happy to continue my career with the Blues. When I signed my first contract here, it was to just do one year. Now it is already the fourth! I could not have imagined that, but really it is a very special moment for me to sign and stay at Chelsea."

The Blues will have Levi Colwill coming back in the summer to bolster their defense even more with the likes of Trevoh Chalobah, Benoît Badiashile, and Wesley Fofana already at the club.