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Striker's injury blow
Chelsea, 15:56, July 24, 2010 ,
Didier Drogba is set to miss the start of Chelsea's Premier League campaign after undergoing surgery on a troublesome groin problem.
The reigning champions have described the procedure as "minimally invasive" but the 32-year-old Ivory Coast international is still expected to be out for around three weeks.
It means, the Blues will definitely be without Drogba for the Charity Shield match against Manchester United on August 8, while he will probably be absent from their opening league fixtures.
Chelsea released a short statement to confirm that Drogba had been struggling the groin injury for part of last season and the decision to have the operation on Friday was intended to "optimise his rehabilitation."
"The decision to perform the procedure after his return from the World Cup was made to optimise his rehabilitation, and he is expected to return to full training in approximately three weeks."
The 32-year-old, who bagged 29 league goals last season, would then likely need a period of time to regain match fitness.