As Chelsea built up to their clash against the Blades, their Spanish left-back was undergoing surgery on his ankle after picking up an injury against Everton last week. Post the surgery, the former Getafe man attempted to watch his side play the game, however, couldn’t stay awake due to exhaustion from the earlier ordeal. His partner, Claudia Rodriguez shared a photo of the Blues star sleeping with the game playing on his phone.

WHAT CUCURELLA SAID

The Spanish international later took to social media to update fans on his surgery and said in his post “Time to come back stronger”.

He received a lot of support in the comments from teammates, current and former, as they wished him a successful recovery.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The full-back is expected to remain out until February, albeit the specific procedure’s nature was not disclosed. Mauricio Pochettino, the manager of Chelsea, has been unlucky when it comes to his full-back problems. Ben Chilwell and Reece James would be Pochettino’s starting full-backs if his team was completely healthy, but he will be without both for some time and Cucurella as well.

WHAT NEXT FOR CUCURELLA?

The Spaniard will miss out on a bulk of action for the Blues to further compound their troubles. Chelsea were also reported to be looking to sell Cucurella in the winter transfer window, a prospect that seems highly unlikely due to the injury.