Chelsea crock Marco van Ginkel is facing knee surgery in the next 48 hours.

The Mirror says Van Ginkel lasted just 10 minutes of his first start for the Blues, in the Capital One Cup win at Swindon, before landing awkwardly on his right knee after a challenge involving the home side's Mark Pritchard.

Chelsea immediately feared the worst for the young Dutchman, who tried to play on but had to give way soon afterwards.

Now, preliminary examinations have confirmed he has a torn anterior cruciate ligament and will undergo surgery in the next 48 hours.

The £8million arrival from Vitesse Arnhem has been told to expect nine months on the sidelines, ruling him out of next summer's World Cup.