"Matter of weeks rather than days" - Frank Lampard confirms Chelsea star will miss games against Brighton and Real Madrid
Chelsea caretaker manager Frank Lampard has confirmed that Kalidou Koulibaly will be out for a few weeks after his injury against Real Madrid. The defender pulled his hamstring during the match while chasing Rodrygo.
Lampard's got a fresh headache at the club after Koulibaly picked up an injury at the Santiago Bernabeu. He had a fully fit squad at the club but will now be without the Senegal star ahead of the crucial season-ending period.
Speaking to the media ahead of the Premier League clash against Brighton & Hove Albion, Lampard confirmed that he had one player out for the next few weeks. He was quoted by Football.London as saying:
"He won't be available for either game. A matter of weeks rather than days. He's a very good, very experienced player. People talk a lot about our squad, Champions League squad is different to Premier League and a disappointment but also an opportunity [for others to step up]."
Kalidou Koulibaly wants to be a success at Chelsea
Kalidou Koulibaly has not had the best of seasons with Chelsea, but is determined to be a success at the club. He has admitted that he is not at his best and is working to get back to the level the club demands from him.
He was quoted by Football.London as saying:
"I know I'm not at 100% yet, but think I'm coming to my level. Chelsea made a big decision to sign me [last summer for £33 million] and there's a big desire in me to give back. I want to be part of this club for many years. This is not the year Chelsea were expecting, but sometimes when you have big changes, new proprietors, and half the team is new, everybody has to adapt. But we know how big the ambition is here and we're going to work to win back the confidence of the supporters."
When he joined the club, the Koulibaly said:
"I'm very happy to be here with this team at Chelsea. It's a big team in the world and my dream was always to play in the Premier League. Chelsea came first to get me in 2016 but we didn't make it. Now when they came to me I accepted it because they really wanted me to come to the Premier League to play for them."