Chelsea FC defender José Bosingwa will spend approximately three months on the sidelines after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Original diagnosis
The 27-year-old Portuguese international suffered the injury in a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa FC on 17 October. Although it was initially thought it was only a minor knock – "It's not a big problem," said manager Carlo Ancelotti at the time – Bosingwa will not return until the new year.

Good news
One player not going under the knife, however, is Ashley Cole after the club confirmed that the England left-back does not require surgery to overcome a shin injury originally picked up against Club Atlético de Madrid on Matchday 3. Cole, 28, subsequently missed three matches before returning for the Matchday 4 draw in Spain which earned the Blues a place in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League with two Group D fixtures to play.