Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma out for rest of season with knee injury

France defender expected to miss at least six months with ACL injury
Zouma injury may increase prospect of John Terry staying at Chelsea

Posted Tuesday, February 09, 2016 by theguardian.com

Chelsea and France have been dealt an untimely setback with Kurt Zouma ruled out for around six months after scans revealed the young centre-half sustained damage to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Sunday’s draw with Manchester United.

Zouma had leapt beyond Marouane Fellaini to hack a loose ball upfield just after the interval at Stamford Bridge, with his right leg buckling grotesquely at the knee as he landed. The 21-year-old, screaming in agony as he lay on the turf while Juan Mata led the appeals for medical staff to treat the stricken player, was taken from the field on a stretcher and, once the initial pain had eased, had left the stadium that evening confident the injury might not have been as serious as first envisaged.

Yet scans on Monday revealed the anterior cruciate ligament had ruptured upon impact. The defender will undergo surgery in the next 48 hours once the swelling on the joint has receded. ''Scan today has shown I injured my ACL,” said Zouma on his Twitter feed. “I will have surgery this week and will come back stronger.” The club expect an absence of at least six months, ending the centre-half’s first season as a regular in the Chelsea team and ruling him out of a late challenge to make France’s squad for Euro 2016.

Zouma has two caps, both gained against Denmark with the second last October, having made his name in Ligue 1 with Saint-Etienne before joining Chelsea two years ago. He was blooded by José Mourinho last season, playing in central midfield in the Capital One Cup final victory over Tottenham Hotspur, but has become a regular at centre-back this term. He has started 16 of Chelsea’s past 19 games, invariably keeping Gary Cahill out of the side, and impressed in a team who have struggled defensively at times this season.

The injury will have implications for Cahill, who had voiced his frustration at a lack of playing time recently in a meeting with the interim manager, Guus Hiddink, as he seeks to ensure he travels to Euro 2016 as England’s vice-captain. He will surely now start the Champions League knockout tie against Paris Saint-Germain next week. It could also, quite possibly, affect John Terry’s immediate future at Stamford Bridge. The 35-year-old’s contract expires in June and, with no offer forthcoming, the captain had indicated last week that he expects to sever his ties in the summer after 21 years on Chelsea’s books.

The club have since suggested that dialogue with the veteran defender remains open, with the manager they appoint at the end of the season to be consulted over whether Terry should be retained. Yet even if Chelsea seek to recruit another centre-back over the summer, having secured Matt Miazga from New York Red Bulls last month, Zouma is unlikely to be fit to start the new season in the autumn, potentially making the retention of Terry more likely.

''That is a situation between him and the club,” said the defender César Azpilicueta. “But, since I arrived at Chelesa, I’ve learned a lot from John. I see no difference in the way he is performing on the pitch now to before, the way he’s giving everything for the team. And Gary is one of the veterans of the team. We know his quality and, in this squad, it is always important to be ready. We need everybody, we have big games coming up and we all have to be ready.”