Cole out for rest of the season

Chelsea winger Joe Cole will miss the rest of the season after surgery on a ruptured cruciate knee ligament on Saturday.

Cole suffered the injury in Wednesday’s FA Cup third round replay win at Southend and was initially expected to be out for at least eight weeks.

But the England star underwent reconstructive surgery on Saturday and has no chance of recovering before the end of the season.

Cole’s absence is another blow for Blues boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, whose squad has been ravaged by injury problems this season.

“I am very sad for Joe to have suffered this injury and I am disappointed to have lost a very important player for me and the club at such a vital moment in the competition,” Scolari told Chelsea’s website.

“However, I believe that with his spirit, Joe will come back to Chelsea even better than before.”