Chelsea Midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek out for Rest of January with Back Injury

Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has said he needs "to take some proper time out" to recover from a back injury, and he is set to miss the remainder of January.

The Englishman was noticeably emotional as he had to be replaced in Chelsea's 2-0 FA Cup third-round victory over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Loftus-Cheek missed back-to-back matches in December with the same problem and has now explained he needs a stretch on the sidelines in order to fully recover, per Simon Johnson in the Evening Standard: 

"It's not good. I have been struggling with it for the last few weeks. I'm going to have to take some proper time out to make sure it heals properly. I'm gutted."

The Blues have five more matches remaining in January and already have quite a long injury list.

Willian, Pedro, Olivier Giroud and Mateo Kovacic are all still being assessed ahead of Tuesday's Carabao Cup semi-final opening leg against Tottenham Hotspur.

And now manager Maurizio Sarri will have to cope without Loftus-Cheek.

The 22-year-old has been on the fringes of the Chelsea first team for some time now but had been becoming a more regular fixture under Sarri recently.

It will be a huge blow to both him and the Blues that he will not be available for the rest of the month.

However, Loftus-Cheek is clearly hoping that the extended break will allow him to fully recover and return for what could be a busy final few months of the season in which he will be needed.

The Blues' chances of winning the league are low despite a fine start to the season, as they are now 10 points behind leaders Liverpool.

But the race for the top four is hotting up, especially with Manchester United's recent upturn in form.

And Chelsea are still in the hunt for silverware in the League Cup, UEFA Europa League and FA Cup, so Loftus-Cheek should have plenty of opportunities to play in crucial games if he can fully recover.