Chelsea boss confirms injury blow to key player ahead of Grimsby clash

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has confirmed that the Blues will be without the services of Emerson for around a month after the defender picked up a recurrence of his thigh injury against Liverpool.

The Italy international has managed to leapfrog Marcos Alonso as the first-choice left-back, but he has recently gone through a frustrating period with injuries.

Emerson recently made an injury comeback during the Premier League clash against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge but he was able to feature for just 15 minutes before suffering a fresh thigh concern.

It was anticipated that the defender could be sidelined for a while and Lampard has now confirmed that the 25-year-old won't return to action until after the international break.

“Emerson now won’t be back until the other side of the international break [which is during mid-October]. It will be a few weeks because it is the reoccurrence of an injury so we have to be a bit careful with it,” he was quoted as saying by Chelsea's website.

In the absence of Emerson, Marcos Alonso should continue commanding the left-back role and the Spaniard has the opportunity to cement his spot with a consistent run of performances.