Frank Lampard has somewhat of a midfield injury crisis on his hands ahead of Chelsea's trip to Wolves later this month.
N'Golo Kante sat out the 2-2 draw with Sheffield United before the international break, Ruben Lotfus-Cheek isn't fit yet and now Mateo Kovacic - an ever-present under the new Blues head coach so far this season - has withdrawn from the Croatia squad for their Euro 2020 fixtures against Slovakia and Azerbaijan.
With that said, here's what we know so far about Kovacic's injury.
Injury
A statement via the Croatia official website reads:
"After attending the national team reunion, Mateo Kovacic was examined by the medical team of the Croatian national team, and he underwent a examination.
"The Chelsea midfielder has been diagnosed with inflammation of the Achilles tendon grip on his right leg, which is why he cannot compete for the upcoming games against Slovakia and Azerbaijan."
Concern
According to the Daily Mail , the injury could be a bad one and similar to what Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi sustained towards the end of last season.
Both have been on the sidelines for at least four months each, with the former not expected to return until November at the earliest.
Although, with the diagnosis being an inflamed Achilles tendon in his right leg, there could be good news for Chelsea fans and Lampard in regards to Kovacic .
What has Kovacic said?
As of right now, Kovacic is yet to make a comment about having to withdraw from the Croatia squad because of injury.
Expected return date
Thanks to the good people over at Premier Injuries, Kovacic is expected to be available for the trip to Wolves on September 14.
This means Lampard could have the Croatia international in his plans alongside Antonio Rudiger, N'Golo Kante, Pedro, Reece James and Hudson-Odoi.
