Remy can plug Costa gap – Nevin

Former Chelsea star Pat Nevin is confident they have enough quality in reserve to cope without the injured Diego Costa in the Premier League title run-in.

The 19-goal striker is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks after aggravating his long-standing hamstring injury in the win over Stoke City.

Costa has been the focal point for Chelsea this season, playing a huge part in helping Jose Mourinho’s side secure a seven-point lead at the top of the table with eight matches left and a game in hand over nearest rivals Arsenal.

But Nevin told West London Sport: “Chelsea have already shown they can manage without Costa this season, and whenever Remy has played he has certainly not let the team down.

“His goals-to-games ratio is pretty good, he has decent pace and his movement has got noticeably better during the season.”

Remy has scored seven goals in eight starts and a total of 24 appearances this season, grabbing the winner in the last two games against Hull City and Stoke.

However, Nevin, a fans’ favourite during his five years at Stamford Bridge from 1983, believes one player the Blues can probably not do without is Eden Hazard.

“His performance against Stoke was world-class,” Nevin said. “It was incredible and if he got injured that would be more a problem than losing Costa.

“The tactics can look like being as simple as getting the ball to him as much as possible but he thrives on the responsibility. I used to enjoy the pressure and expectations when I played and he seems to be the same.

“John Neal [Nevin’s first Chelsea boss] used to say ‘give the ball to Pat’ and I relished that. I suspect Eden Hazard is the same.”

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