Why Kurt Zouma’s injury is a big blow to Chelsea and his career

Under normal circumstances, a clash between Premier giants Chelsea and Manchester United is considered on of the best fixtures in England. There are always major talking points in the after-match reports highlighting several spectacular performances.

Not now. Things have changed this season with both clubs showing a somewhat poor performance (from what they’re known for) throughout their 2015/16 campaigns.

And over the weekend, Chelsea and United drew 1-1 in a game which had two moments of class, in Jessie Lingard’s improvised opener and Diego Costa’s stoppage time equalizer, and another disturbing moment that saw Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma’s scream pierce the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Today, one of the main talking points following the 1-1 draw from Chelsea’s clash and United is Zouma’s horrific knee injury that has made headlines since Sunday.

And now what seems to be a bad news for both the 21-year-old and his club, it has been confirmed that Zouma suffered an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament that will see him remain on the sidelines for six months.

Zouma took it to twitter and wrote: “Scan today has shown I injured my ACL [Anterior Cruciate Ligament]. I will have surgey this week & come back stronger. Thank you everyone for all the messages.”
Chelsea also released a statement that said: “Chelsea Football Club’s medical team have diagnosed that Kurt Zouma sustained an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament during yesterday’s (Sunday) Premier League game against Manchester United.

“Kurt will undergo surgery in the next 48 hours and is expected to be out for approximately six months.”

The vibrant young defender had just jumped strangely high off the ground to volley the ball from danger but landed awkwardly after the acrobatic clearance that saw his leg buckle upon landing.

And from the medical reports, his season is now ended and the long period of recuperation is about to begin.

For Chelsea and Zouma, this is major setback that has come at a wrong time after the defender has established himself as the Blue’s first-choice center-back given the poor form of the likes of John Terry and Gary Cahill so far this season.

Chelsea’s defense has been remarkably poor this season when compared to their previous title-winning form in 2014/15. Chelsea’s interim boss Guus Hiddink is on the verge of facing a tough time in his career this season with only limited options in the central defense.

According to reports, Hiddink will use Terry and Cahill, thus excluding the selection of Branislav Ivanovic at center-back.

Chelsea have tough fixtures coming up against Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, and Hiddink has to find a perfect replacement for Zouma.
The entire Chelsea coaching staff are reportedly frustrated at the 21-year-old’s latest setback, but they must give him enough time to return to fitness.