Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has confirmed that Eden Hazard and new signing Tiémoué Bakayoko will miss the start of the season.
Hazard is recovering following an ankle injury and Conte does not expect the Belgian to be available for next weekend’s opening-day match against Burnley.
The same applies to France midfielder Bakayoko, who also had surgery this summer, on a knee injury.
“Honestly no. It’s too early and we have to wait and have patience,” Conte said.
“For sure they are improving a lot and recovering very well from their injuries but they are not ready for the start of the season.
“After surgery it is important to expect the right time to recover. Their work is going very well.”
Meanwhile, Conte has laughed off speculation linking Hazard with potential move to Barcelona.
This post was last modified on 04/08/2017