Silva: Chelsea defender ruled out with knee ligament damage

Chelsea have confirmed Thiago Silva suffered a knee ligament injury during their 2-0 London Derby defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.

The Brazilian limped off in the 19th minute – and was replaced by Wesley Fofana with the Blues now revealing the exact extent of the 38-year-old's injury.

"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," Chelsea’s statement read.

Although the Blues have not given an official timeframe for Silva’s return, reports indicate the center-back could be out for six weeks.

His absence is a huge blow for Chelsea – who are 14 points from the top four and have only won two games in their last 15 games across all competitions – ahead of their Premier League match against Leeds United on Saturday.

Should the Brazilian – who recently signed a one-year contract extension - remain sidelined for six weeks, it means Chelsea will be without him for their Champions League last-16 second leg duel against Borussia Dortmund.

In his absence, manager Graham Potter has Trevor Chalobah, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile as options at the back. However, Badiashile is not eligible to play in the Champions League.