Report: Chelsea Captain John Terry Expected to Return in 3 Weeks

John Terry had quite the return to the field last Sunday.

After serving out a four-match ban, the 31-year-old marked his return to Stamford Bridge by heading in Chelsea’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw against Liverpool. However, the Blues’ captain will be remembered more for how he left the game.

After a collision with Reds’ forward Luis Suarez in the second half, Terry fell to the ground clutching his knee. He lay writhing in pain, and, matched with the expression on his face, it hinted at a severe injury. His exit on a stretcher didn’t do much to help the matter.

Fortunately for the former English international, the club announced Monday that MRI Scans revealed no significant damage to Terry’s crucial ligaments. Instead of the initial fears of months of absence, Terry was downgraded to an absence of several weeks.

Chelsea faithful received an even further boost when manager Roberto Di Matteo revealed Thursday morning that the skipper could be back in as soon as three weeks (via ESPN).

While it’s great news for the Blues, the injury couldn’t have come at a more pivotal stretch of the schedule.

First up, Chelsea will fight for their Champions League lives when they travel to take on Juventus on Tuesday. That’s followed by a league visit by currently undefeated Manchester City next Sunday. 

Terry’s absence will be felt heavily in both crucial matchups. However, it’s a small price to pay to get back the centerpiece of their defense a lot sooner than they expected.

Di Matteo believes Terry will be back in time for their Dec. 8 meeting with Sunderland.

Also check out: Chelsea Transfer Rumors: Radamel Falcao, David Villa, Marouane Fellaini and More

You can follow Sebastian on Twitter at @SP7988