Marc Cucurella faces up to three months out after undergoing surgery... and the Chelsea full-back is left so worn out post-op that he falls asleep while watching 2-0 win over Sheffield United!

Marc Cucurella was still able to raise a smile despite the Chelsea full-back undergoing surgery which is set to sideline him for as long as three months.  

Cucurella was substituted during Sunday's fixture against Everton and following initial assessments, it was determined, via advice from foot and ankle specialists, that he needed to go under the knife.

The 25-year-old full-back, who is anticipated to be out until February now, confirmed his surgery on Instagram on Saturday -  although he didn't specify the exact nature of the procedure.

He was seen laying in a hospital bed with his left foot in a cast and heavily inflamed. 

Despite not being part of Mauricio Pochettino's squad at the weekend, Cucurella wanted to follow the progress of his team-mates in their match against Sheffield United.

He managed to get a stream of the game but, as revealed in a photo by his partner, Cucurella was so worn out from the surgery that he was unable to stay awake to watch it.

'Time to come back stronger,' Cucurella wrote on Instagram, which included a second photo of him stood up in the corridor of the hospital on crutches. 

He was flooded with messages of support from team-mates, who eagerly wished him well and promised that he would 'come back stronger'.

Team-mate Ben Chilwell, who himself is sidelined through injury, wrote: 'Back soon brother!'

Chelsea's official account added: 'We will be with you all the way, Marc.'

Reece James, who himself is facing a lengthy lay-off after sustaining another hamstring injury in the defeat at Everton, added a single blue heart to the post. 

Levi Colwill, who is expected to continue at left back in the absence of Cucurella and Chilwell, posted: 'Yes hermano', with a kiss and red heart emoji. 

More to follow. 

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has had rotten luck with injuries to his full-backs. 

With a fully-fit squad, Chilwell and James would be his starting full-backs, but Pochettino is going to have to do without both for a long spell. 

'We have a lot of injury issues and it's like building a house and some of the stuff are not there but we need to keep believing,' Pochettino said ahead of Saturday's 2-0 win over Sheffield United.

'The roof? Not there yet. We have good people building the house, good architects. We have the best company, architects, very creative and good - already proven.

'But when you want to build something you need solid foundations which sometimes are affected because of the nature of the circumstances. You dig the hole and there is water, it is not because of the company. An unexpected situation which delays the possibility to move quicker than you expected. Unfortunately we received too many hits against us.'