- Marc Cucurella played against Everton and has since undergone surgery
- The Chelsea full-back was still trying to follow Saturday's match in his hospital bed
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Marc Cucurella was still able to muster a smile despite the Chelsea full-back undergoing an operation that will sideline him for up to three months.
Cucurella was substituted during Sunday's match against Everton and after an initial assessment it was determined on the advice of foot and ankle specialists that he needed to go under the knife.
The 25-year-old full-back, who is expected to be out until February, confirmed his operation on Instagram on Saturday – although he did not specify the exact nature of the procedure.
He was seen lying in a hospital bed with his left foot in a cast and badly inflamed.
Despite not being part of Mauricio Pochettino's squad this weekend, Cucurella wanted to monitor his teammates' progress in their match against Sheffield United.
Marc Cucurella smiled and gave a thumbs up from a hospital bed after undergoing surgery
Cucurella, who will now use crutches (left) as part of his rehabilitation, fell asleep (right) while trying to watch his side's match against Sheffield United on Saturday, which they eventually won 2-0.
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He managed to get a stream of the game, but as a photo from his partner shows, Cucurella was so exhausted from the surgery that he couldn't stay awake to watch it.
“Time to come back stronger,” Cucurella wrote on Instagram, with a second photo of him standing on crutches in the hospital hallway.
He was inundated with messages of support from teammates, who eagerly wished him luck and promised he would 'come back stronger'.
Teammate Ben Chilwell, who is sidelined due to an injury, wrote: “Back soon brother!”
Chelsea's official account added: “We'll be with you all the way, Marc.”
Reece James, who himself faces a long layoff after suffering another hamstring injury in the defeat at Everton, added a single blue heart to the post.
Levi Colwill, who is expected to remain at left back in the absence of Cucurella and Chilwell, posted: 'Yes hermano', with a kiss and a red heart emoji.
More to follow.
Many of Cucurella's Chelsea teammates were quick to express their support on Instagram
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has been unlucky with injuries to his wing-backs.
With a fully fit squad, Chilwell and James would be his starting full-backs, but Pochettino will have to make do without both for a long period.
“We have a lot of injury problems and it's like building a house and some things aren't there, but we have to keep believing,” Pochettino said ahead of Saturday's 2-0 win over Sheffield United.
'The roof? Not there yet. We have good people building the house, good architects. We have the best company, architects, very creative and good – already proven.
'But if you want to build something you need solid foundations, which are sometimes affected by the nature of the circumstances. You dig the hole and there is water, it doesn't come from the company. An unexpected situation that delays the opportunity to move faster than you expected. Unfortunately we had too many hits against us.'