Thomas Tuchel has revealed that Thiago Silva is unlikely to be fit for the start of Chelsea's 2021/22 campaign, as the defender will return late for pre-season after representing Brazil at the Copa America.
The centre-back was selected for the summer tournament in South America and featured five times for the Selecao on their run to the final, despite suffering a groin injury.
And Tuchel believes Silva's Copa America campaign will mean a delayed start to the new season for the 36-year-old.
"I'm always happy if Thiago goes for a holiday [over the summer] and comes back with us for pre-season because at his age he needs a certain amount of training to play in an intense league like the Premier League," Chelsea's head coach said in an interview for the club's website.
"So now we will have a bit of a delay in his personal season when he comes back late from the Copa. I was a bit sad when they couldn't win at home against Argentina but I hope it's not too big a setback.
"He won it last time, was a big part of it again, and, of course, he played a fantastic role in our half a year and hopefully he can conserve the spirit and the quality and the level of fitness."
Source - football.london
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