Frank Lampard is hopeful that Hakim Ziyech’s hamstring injury only proves to be a minor problem.
The Moroccan only lasted 30 minutes of Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Leeds United on Saturday, and is due to receive the results of a scan on Tuesday.
Having spoken with the forward, Lampard gets the impression it is a problem that will sideline the player for weeks rather than months.
“He came to us at the back end of last season and trained a lot,” Lampard said of the signing from Ajax. “The injury [in pre-season] was disappointing and he missed some weeks, but straightaway he showed his intensity to work in the gym and on the training pitches as soon as he was back, and that was why he hit the ground running when he came into the team.
“I hope this is a minor injury. The feeling he had since the game is that it doesn’t feel too bad, which I’m hoping means we’ll be talking a couple of weeks, but we will wait for the scan.
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“I’m not worried too much, he’s a fit lad, and he’s shown he will be an important player for us.”
Ziyech is definitely out of the Champions League clash with Krasnodar on Tuesday, but having already qualified it hands Lampard the chance to rotate his pack.
Lamard confirmed Kepa Arrizabalaga will take over in goal, and Billy Gilmour will start in midfield.
The manager stressed that he wants his players to get through the game without further injuries.
Asked about what he wants from the game, Lampard said: “Certainly no injuries, and some minutes for people who have not played as much as they would want and to show they deserve to play more, and to gain some more match fitness.
“You can’t switch the idea of winning on and off, so I want to see the right attitude in how we approach the game.”
Following the meeting with Krasnodar, Chelsea have games with Everton, Wolves, West Ham, Arsenal and Aston Villa before the turn of the year.
With Chelsea third in the table, the run of five games could shape their title challenge - and Lampard would like Ziyech to feature in a couple of those contests.
