Chelsea striker Radamel Falcao has suffered a setback in his recovery from a thigh problem and will be out until at least mid-January.
Falcao has not played for the Blues since the 3-1 defeat by Liverpool on October 31 and in total has started just one Barclays Premier League match, scoring once, to continue another ill-fated loan move from Monaco.
Interim manager Guus Hiddink insisted two days ago that Falcao was not match fit, but has now revealed that the Colombian has suffered a recurrence of a muscle problem that has troubled him in recent weeks.
"We had him in a game and he had this injury again that he had before. It's the inside of his thigh," Hiddink said.
"Yes, I think it's back to square one. He's in treatment at the moment. He cannot appear on the pitch.
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"He was out and our medical staff tried to build him up, and he had a setback which is not always a positive signal.
"We hope within 10 days he might be fit again, though not to play."
