According to (Sport Illustrated) Antonio Conte and Chelsea have been hit with a major setback, following news that striker Alvaro Morata could be sidelined for up to six weeks as a result of the hamstring injury that forced him off the pitch against Manchester City on Saturday, per the Mirror.
The Spaniard hit the ground running at Chelsea, scoring six goals in his first six Premier League appearances for the Blues after his summer move from Real Madrid. But he pulled up during Saturday's clash, eventually subbing himself off.
It was initially thought that Morata would be able to return to action after the international break, but the Spanish Football Federation have confirmed that the 24-year-old suffered a grade two hamstring tear that will likely keep him out for all of October plus two weeks into November.
Chelsea have been dealt a major blow after the Spanish Football Federation claimed striker Álvaro Morata has suffered a grade two hamstring injury that could rule him out for over a month.
Morata was forced off in the 35th minute of Chelsea’s defeat to Manchester City with an injury to his left hamstring.
Head coach Antonio Conte admitted he took a risk over the fitness of Morata by starting him against City, but had suggested the Spaniard’s injury was not serious.
But in confirming that Morata had pulled out of the Spain squad for the games against Albania and Israel, the Spanish Federation revealed the 24-year-old had undergone an MRI scant that revealed a grade two injury.
Medical experts claim that a grade two hamstring injury can sideline a player for anywhere between six to eight weeks, although no official timescale has been put on Morata’s absence.
Morata will now return to Chelsea, where he will be scanned again, but losing the record signing for any length of time will be considerable headache for Conte.
Since joining from Real Madrid for £57million in the summer, Morata has scored seven goals for Chelsea and quickly established himself as one of the club’s key players.
Tellingly, Conte opted to replace Morata with Willian against City which only increased theories that he does not trust Michy Batshuayi in big games.
Batshuayi has scored vital goals for Chelsea from the substitutes’ bench and in cup competitions, but has struggled when relied upon from the start against tough opposition.
Chelsea travel to Crystal Palace after the international break, which Morata appears likely to miss, and also face Roma twice in the Champions League during October.
Manchester United travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea on Nov 5 in a game that Conte will be desperate to win following the defeat to Premier League title rivals City.
Should Morata be ruled out for any length of time, then more questions will be asked over why Chelsea did not sign more forward cover during the summer transfer window.
Conte wanted to bring in Fernando Llorente from Swansea City, but Chelsea were beaten to his signature by Tottenham Hotspur and Tammy Abraham was allowed to join the Welsh club on loan.
Chelsea last week confirmed that last season’s top scorer Diego Costa had officially returned to Atlético Madrid on an initial loan that will eventually become a £57.5m permanent deal.
Antonio Conte was accused of sending messages to the Chelsea board during the early weeks of the season when he loaded his bench with youngsters and fringe players as the clock ticked down towards the end of the transfer window.
In reality his hand had largely been forced by fitness issues and suspensions back in August, but there was no room for misinterpreting Conte's message when he opted to replace Alvaro Morata with Willian.
The striker pulled up with a hamstring injury in the 35th minute and Conte's change meant Chelsea effectively had seven midfielders on the pitch while the midweek Champions League hero Michy Batshuayi sat on the bench with his hood up. Batshuayi eventually got on with just under 20 minutes remaining, but he was once again the last throw of the dice for Chelsea.
Conte doesn't mind looking towards Batshuayi for a vital last-gasp winner, as he provided against West Brom to clinch last season's Premier League title, and Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
But he does not appear to trust the Belgian for any prolonged amount of time against the very best teams and Morata's injury highlighted the fact that Conte feels he is short of striker options after missing out on Fernando Llorente.
Just as Mauricio Pochettino would overlook Vincent Janssen to ask Heung-Min Son to deputise for Harry Kane last season, Conte put a round peg in a square hole in Chelsea's biggest game of the season so far.
Pochettino now has Llorente at his disposal if Kane suffers an injury or needs a rest, but Conte simply cannot afford to lose Morata for any length of time between now and January, when he can try again to get a deputy he trusts.
Morata scored seven goals in his first seven games after arriving at Chelsea for a club record £57m from Real Madrid, but Conte took a risk starting him against City.
The Spaniard had limped his way out of Atletico's Wanda Metropolitano stadium and was caught by television cameras feeling his hamstring before kick-off at Stamford Bridge. That in itself underlines how heavily Conte and Chelsea will rely on Morata during the first half of the season.
How Conte must have envied Guardiola, who could call on Jesus after Sergio Aguero had been ruled out after suffering broken ribs in a car crash. With no focal point in attack, Chelsea were forced into smash-and-grab mode and were unable to dominate the game as they had done so impressively in the Champions League.
Batshuayi had already stripped off to go on when De Bruyne scored in the 67th minute, and when he eventually trotted on the pitch it was with Pedro.