Terry out for two months
02/21/2012 08:20:41 PM
Chelsea captain John Terry could miss up to two months after aggravating his knee injury ahead of the Champions League clash with Napoli.
Andre Villas-Boas was hopeful of having the defender available for the round-of-16 first-leg encounter at Stadio San Paulo on Tuesday.
But Terry, 31, will reportedly undergo minor surgery on his right knee, which has troubled him since he collided with a goalpost in the FA Cup win over Portsmouth on January 8.
The England centre-back trained with his Chelsea team-mates on Monday, but woke up in considerable pain and could miss up to eight weeks because of the injury.
It is a major blow for the English Premier League side and Villas-Boas, who is under pressure after a run of four matches without a win.
The Portuguese manager was hoping Terry would be available to contain talented Napoli attackers Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik.
Terry has missed Chelsea's last four matches and the injury will also rule him out of England's friendly against the Netherlands on February 29.
The friendly is England's first outing since Fabio Capello resigned, giving interim boss Stuart Pearce a headache as he prepares to name his squad.