Antonio Rudiger was on Tuesday preparing to have the knee operation that is likely to stop him playing for Chelsea again this season.
The Germany defender damaged his left knee during the 1-1 draw at Manchester United on Sunday and, after tests, it has been decided that surgery is the best way forward and it is now extremely difficult to imagine Rudiger playing again this season.
Chelsea face Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday in the first part of their two-leg Europa League semi-final with the final — which would be their last game of the season — scheduled for May 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The club also have two Premier League fixtures to play — at home to Watford on Sunday and at Leicester on May 15 — as they try to secure the top-four finish that would bring Champions League football next season.
Losing Rudiger is a major blow to Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri, who has made him a mainstay of his back four.
The centre-half has started 44 of the club’s 50 fixtures this season and his absence may see Andreas Christensen given the nod alongside David Luiz in central defence on Thursday, when the pair will have the tough task of stopping Frankfurt’s 21-year-old forward Luka Jovic.
