Danny Drinkwater will have to wait until after the next international break to make his Chelsea debut, Antonio Conte has confirmed.
The England international joined Chelsea from Leicester on deadline day of the summer transfer window in a deal worth £35m but is yet to feature for Conte’s side.
Drinkwater missed the start of the season with Leicester due to a thigh injury and has now suffered a new calf problem in training that Conte has confirmed will keep the midfielder out of action until after the next international break.
It means that the 27-year-old will miss Chelsea's next five matches before eyeing his debut for the club away to Crystal Palace on October 14.
“He has a muscular problem in his calf,” the Daily Mail quote Conte as saying in his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s clash with Arsenal. “I think it’s very difficult to see him before the international break.”
“He needs time to recover. It’s a pity because he was starting to work and to improve his physical conditions.
“Now we have to move all these situations. And in two, three weeks, four weeks I don’t know.”
Drinkwater is the second Leicester player Chelsea have signed in the last two years following the arrival of N’Golo Kante in 2016.
In fact, only Kante (344) has won possession in the middle third more times than Drinkwater (331) in the last three Premier League campaigns.
