Chelsea striker Armando Broja will miss the rest of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament, the club have confirmed.
Broja, 21, collided with Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa during a mid-season friendly match in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
“Scan results have unfortunately confirmed an anterior cruciate ligament rupture and that surgery will be required,” the club said.
“He will work closely with the club’s medical department during his rehab.”
The Albania international thanked everyone for their messages of support and added on social media: “It’s been difficult to process everything over the past few days, but I am determined to come back even stronger and better than before.”
Broja has made 12 Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season, 10 of them as a substitute, and scoring once following a successful loan spell at Southampton last season.
Chelsea, who lost three games in a row before the World Cup break, play Bournemouth at home on 27 December.
They sit eighth in the Premier League table, 16 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Analysis
Alistair Magowan, BBC Sport
Armando Broja’s injury will come as a hammer blow to a striker who is yet to fully establish himself at Chelsea, and continues the club’s long-running problems in attack.
The 21-year-old is highly thought of at Stamford Bridge, having signed a new six-year deal at the club last summer.
But he only scored his first Chelsea goal in October and missing the rest of the season could mean he falls down the pecking order when he does eventually return.
Chelsea were already short of strikers. Romelu Lukaku is on loan at Inter Milan for the remainder of the campaign, meaning Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang is now their only fit out-and-out marksman. That should trigger another move from the club into the transfer market in January.
Chairman and interim sporting director Todd Boehly has already made a move for RB Leipzig’s Christian Nkunku, but any deal is likely to come in the summer. Chelsea now need a stop-gap option and the lure of Cristiano Ronaldo may be tempting for Boehly.
The question remains whether it’s also tempting for the manager. Last summer Thomas Tuchel said no to a deal for Ronaldo. Will Graham Potter think the same? Or will the Englishman think he has enough cover up top, especially as previously-out-of-favour wingers Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech have performed well at the World Cup?
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