Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has provided a fresh injury update on Thiago Silva ahead of the club’s FA Cup fifth round clash against Barnsley tonight.
The Brazil international suffered a thigh strain in the 1-0 Premier League derby win over Tottenham Hotspur this month and missed the recent trip to Sheffield United.
Ahead of tonight’s clash, Tuchel confirmed that the centre-back won’t be available to face the Tykes and the club need to stay patient for his comeback.
“Thiago is out for sure – he feels better and better though, which is good and he’s getting the right treatment,” he told the club’s official website.
“One thing we can be sure of with Thiago though is that he will be spending every minute available to him to speed up the process of healing.
“It is a muscle injury though so we cannot force it and we will wait for Thiago.”
Tuchel previously said that the 36-year-old could make his return against Southampton on February 20 and it remains to be seen whether that is the case.
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Silva joined the Blues on a free transfer last summer and has emerged as the leader of the attack. He was a regular captain under former boss Frank Lampard.
Despite turning 36, he has shown no signs of slowing down and managed to feature in 21 games for the west London side before the setback.
Tuchel is aware that Silva can’t be rushed back to action at his age and is prepared to stay patient for the defender’s return to the playing field.
The Blues have a crucial Champions League round of 16 first-leg fixture against Atletico Madrid on February 23.
Ideally, Tuchel may want the centre-back to play a cameo against the Saints before starting against Diego Simeone’s side at the National Arena in Bucharest.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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