Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has admitted that the injury to defender Kurt Zouma may be as serious as initially feared. The defender had to be stretchered off in the recent 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

He has recently received glowing praise for the impeccable performances and this injury could not have come at a much worse time for Chelsea and the player. There are fears that he may have ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, which will keep him out for a minimum of 6 to 7 months. This will rule him not to just until the end of the season but also from the Euro 2016.

France host the tournament and manager Didier Deschamps had placed a lot of faith in the young shoulders of Zouma. Still just 21 years old, Zouma has been a regular first choice throughout the season with managers rotating either John Terry or Gary Cahill in favour of retaining Zouma. The injury to the Frenchman is likely to see the return of the Terry and Cahill partnership. This is going to be bad news for Chelsea and Guus Hiddink since the club does not have much options in this department. Hiddink will be hoping that Terry and Cahill can carry through the rest of the season without any major issues.

"Tomorrow [Monday] we will know more. But if you have this injury then it's bad. Let's see. It's a hyper-extension and that's always bad. I had the same problem once and it hurts a lot. We will see tomorrow," said Hiddink about the injury suffered by his young defender. Since joining from St Etienne in a £ 12 million deal, Zouma has grown in confidence. He has already made 33 appearances in all competitions this season with an impeccable rating especially in the Champions League.