Chelsea have confirmed that Brazil international Thiago Silva has suffered “damage to his knee ligament” and he could be out for up to six weeks.

The 38-year-old was forced off during Chelsea’s 2-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon. He underwent a scan on Monday on his return to the club’s training complex.

Chelsea have not revealed how long they expect Thiago to be out. But a report from The Evening Standard has indicated that he is ‘set to be out for six weeks’.

“Scan results 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,” a club statement read.

The loss of a key player is a major blow to under-pressure head coach Graham Potter, who has managed just two wins from Chelsea’s last 15 games in all competitions.

Silva has featured in all but three of the Blues’ 24 top-flight matches this term, in addition to six of their seven Champions League fixtures.

Glenn Hoddle admitted after Chelsea’s loss to Tottenham that he is worried for the Blues as they are not the “same team without” Silva.

“They lack that punch. They lack that punch in and around the 18-yard box,” Hoddle told Premier League Productions.

“They started the game okay, first 10, 15 minutes they came out and were the better team.

“But no, there’s not that little bit of magic there, they’ve got good players, very good players, but are they gelling as a team? No, they’re not. And they’ve got to have more end product.

“When their elder statesman, Thiago Silva, goes off, to me, they don’t look the same team without him.”

Tim Sherwood added: “I thought they lacked effort, they lacked a plan, it was just hope, it was just ‘can one of those world-class players turn it around?’

“They just got dominated from start to finish. I think Tottenham had more of a game plan, more of a structure, more will power, unfortunately it was a really poor performance from Chelsea.

“I think it lacked that desire, you could sense it in here, the Chelsea fans left before the end, 10, 15 minutes before the end they were going home.

“You don’t see that from Chelsea fans, they couldn’t be bothered to stand and boo the team, they just left.”

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The article Chelsea dealt major blow as Silva suffers ‘knee ligament damage’; report reveals length of absence appeared first on Football365.com.