Chelsea injury crisis deepens as boss Potter confirms Zakaria is out for four weeks after limping out of Fulham loss

CHELSEA boss Graham Potter has confirmed that Denis Zakaria will be out for a month with a quad injury.

The Juventus loanee struggled for action early in his Blues tenure, but has forced his way into Potter's side in recent weeks.

Zakaria, 26, limped off 56 minutes into his side's 2-1 defeat at Fulham last Thursday.

The Swiss star underwent medical tests after the match to determine the extent of his injury.

Following yesterday's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, Potter offered an update on Zakaria.

He said: "Denis is four weeks, top of his quad, so that's a blow for us.

"Hopefully, he can be (back) sooner."

Zakaria has made seven appearances for the Blues, all under Potter.

And fans recently raved about his encouraging displays.

He scored his only goal for the club to date in the 2-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb.

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The midfielder's absence is just the latest in a long line of injuries suffered by Chelsea stars this season.

N'Golo Kante and Wesley Fofana are long-term absentees, while full-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell are also out.

Armando Broja has been ruled out for the season, while Raheem Sterling, Edouard Mendy, Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have also been missing.