Duff injury blow for Blues

Chelsea suffered a major blow to their chances of resurrecting their Champions League dream today when winger Damien Duff was potentially ruled out for the rest of the season.

Record £17m (€25.3m) signing Duff dislocated his shoulder for the second time this season during a fall in training at the club’s base near Heathrow Airport.

The Irishman has been a key figure in Claudio Ranieri’s plans since his summer move from Blackburn and was badly missed during the team’s 3-1 defeat in their Champions League semi-final first leg in Monaco last week.

The Chelsea boss had been hoping that Duff could return in time for the second leg at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday.

However, he has now been deprived of a vital source of attacking inspiration ahead of a game in which Chelsea must score at least twice to complete a remarkable transformation in their fortunes.

The club’s website, www.chelseafc.com , reported: “Damien Duff suffered a second dislocation of his shoulder in training today after a fall.

“He first dislocated it on December 20, when Chelsea beat Fulham 1-0, and was out for three and a half weeks. He is having an assessment made of the problem before deciding what rehabilitation is for the best.

“Damien was back in full training after a virus had kept him out of the past three games.”

Duff will therefore miss the remaining three Premiership games – against Southampton, Manchester United and Leeds – as Chelsea attempt to finish second in the league.

While there is a slim chance that he could recover in time for any appearance in the Champions League final on May 26, it is far more likely that his season has now come to a premature end.

His most natural replacement is Danish international winger Jesper Gronkjaer, who was substituted at half-time during the first leg in Monaco as he had failed to make any real impression on the game.

On a more positive front, Ranieri was at least hoping that keeper Carlo Cudicini could make a comeback from another freak training ground injury in time for next week’s game against Monaco.

The Italian suffered a broken bone in his hand during training in mid-March and has not played since, with fourth-choice keeper Marco Ambrosio called in to replace him.

Ambrosio has done his best to cover for Cudicini but move from Blackburn and was badly missed during the team's 3-1 defeat in their Champions League semi-final first leg in Monaco last week.

The Chelsea boss had been hoping that Duff could return in time for the second leg at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday.

However, he has now been deprived of a vital source of attacking inspiration ahead of a game in which Chelsea must score at least twice to complete a remarkable transformation in their fortunes.

The club’s website, www.chelseafc.com , reported: “Damien Duff suffered a second dislocation of his shoulder in training today after a fall.

“He first dislocated it on December 20, when Chelsea beat Fulham 1-0, and was out for three and a half weeks. He is having an assessment made of the problem before deciding what rehabilitation is for the best.

“Damien was back in full training after a virus had kept him out of the past three games.”

Duff will therefore miss the remaining three Premiership games – against Southampton, Manchester United and Leeds – as Chelsea attempt to finish second in the league.

And while there is a slim chance that he could recover in time for any appearance in the Champions League final on May 26, it is far more likely that his season has now come to a premature end.

His most natural replacement is Danish international winger Jesper Gronkjaer, who was substituted at half-time during the first leg in Monaco as he had failed to make any real impression on the game.

On a more positive front, Ranieri was at least hoping that keeper Carlo Cudicini could make a comeback from another freak training ground injury in time for next week’s game against Monaco.

The Italian suffered a broken bone in his hand during training in mid-March and has not played since, with fourth-choice keeper Marco Ambrosio called in to replace him.

Ambrosio has done his best to cover for Cudicini but was at fault for at least one of Monaco’s three goals in the Louis II stadium.

Cudicini returned to full training this week and while there is a chance that he could be ready for Saturday’s game at home to Southampton, he is more realistically targeting the second leg against Monaco.

Right-back Glen Johnson is, meanwhile, also back in contention after recovering from an ankle injury, while Scott Parker is hoping to have return after a hamstring problem.

While Marcel Desailly’s appeal is set to be heard tomorrow into a three-game suspension for elbowing Monaco’s Fernando Morientes, Ranieri is also counting on William Gallas to be back for next Wednesday’s game.

Gallas was initially suffering from the same illness as Duff, causing him to miss the game in Monaco, but he has also been receiving treatment to a tight hamstring.

Celestine Babayaro, Emmanuel Petit and Juan Sebastian Veron are also ruled out, meaning that even Chelsea’s huge squad is now under strain at this vital stage of the season.