Alvaro Morata could be facing a spell on the sidelines through the middle of November.
The Spanish Football Federation announced that it had dropped Morata from its national team squad for a pair of World Cup qualifiers because he had suffered a grade two hamstring tear. Morata limped off during Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
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According to The Guardian, the standard recovery time for a grade two hamstring injury is anywhere from four to six weeks, meaning Morata could miss both of Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League matches against AS Roma and potentially the match against Manchester United on November 5. Following that match is the final international break of the year, where Morata can take advantage of two more weeks without club action.
The injury news is a big blow to both Chelsea and Spain. For Chelsea, Morata has scored seven goals in eight appearances this season in all competitions, while for Spain he leads the line in a team that has been starved the last couple of years for dependable strikers.
Chelsea will likely start Michy Batshuayi in Morata’s place but it’s possible that Antonio Conte could use a “false 9" formation with six midfielders and four defenders to confuse opposing defenses.