Chelsea striker Radamel Falcao has suffered a setback in his recovery from a thigh problem and will be out until at least mid-January.
Falcao has not played for the Blues since the 3-1 defeat by Liverpool on October 31 and in total has started just one Barclays Premier League match, scoring once, to continue another ill-fated loan move from Monaco.
Interim manager Guus Hiddink insisted two days ago that Falcao was not match fit, but has now revealed that the Colombian has suffered a recurrence of a muscle problem that has troubled him in recent weeks.
"We had him in a game and he had this injury again that he had before. It's the inside of his thigh," Hiddink said.
"Yes, I think it's back to square one. He's in treatment at the moment. He cannot appear on the pitch.
"He was out and our medical staff tried to build him up, and he had a setback which is not always a positive signal.
"We hope within 10 days he might be fit again, though not to play."
ArticleChelsea's Falcao 'back to square one' after injury setbackGuus HiddinkRadamel FalcaoChelseaChelsea injury news: Falcao 'back to square one' after setback, says HiddinkImagePublishedMedium width4Wednesday, December 30, 2015 - 22:52Setback: Radamel FalcaoOn