Alvaro Morata Suffers Hamstring Injury vs. Manchester City

Chelsea forward Alvaro Morata picked up what appeared to be a hamstring injury in Saturday's Premier League match against Manchester City.

Per the club's official Twitter account, he was unable to continue after slumping to the pitch in the first half. According to ESPN FC's Mark Ogden, he clutched his hamstring as he did so.

"It's a muscular problem," manager Antonio Conte told reporters after the match. "I don't think it's serious because he stopped before it could become serious."

Morata joined the Blues in the summer for a club-record transfer fee after just one season back at Real Madrid.

The Spain international left the Santiago Bernabeu for Juventus in 2014 in search of regular football, and after a couple of campaigns in Italy, he returned to Real. However, he struggled to secure a regular place in the first team.

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That lack of football paved the way for a move to Chelsea, where big things are expected under the guidance of manager Antonio Conte. So far, Morata has been excellent for the Blues.

Despite the combative way in which he plays the game, Morata is a durable player. The striker is constantly on the move, always seeking to pin defenders down and challenge for the ball. He's an effective and intelligent finisher, too.

Without Morata, the Blues do look a little sharp in terms of centre-forward options, with Michy Batshuayi the only other natural option to lead the line. Conte can also also turn to Eden Hazard at the point of the attack; the Belgian did a decent job in the position at times in 2016-17.

Still, having arrived with big expectations and for a lucrative fee, Chelsea supporters will want to see Morata on the field as much as possible in 2017-18. This injury will be a big blow to them, particularly given his great start in London.