
Chelsea
forward Alvaro Morata faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to the
hamstring injury suffered against Manchester City at the weekend.
Record signing Morata was forced off after 35 minutes of Blues' 1-0 home
defeat to City.
The 24-year-old, who moved to Stamford Bridge from Real Madrid during the
summer for £70million, was withdrawn from Spain's World Cup Qualifiers
against Albania on Friday and Israel on Monday because of the problem.
Spain's football federation later confirmed that an MRI scan had revealed
the striker had sustained a grade II myofascial injury in the hamstring.
Initial fears suggest the prolific frontman could be out for the whole of
October, being able to return to competitive first-team action in
mid-November.
Belgium's Michy Batshuayi is now the only recognised attacker at the west
London club.
Defending champions Chelsea face four crucial Premier League fixtures, away
at Crystal Palace before hosting Watford and Manchester United, on November
5 on Sky Sports, with a league trip to Bournemouth in between following the
international break,
Morata, who has scored seven goals in his first 10 appearances for Chelsea,
is also almost certainly set to miss this month's double header against
Italian Serie A side Roma in the Champions League.