Chelsea centre back Levi Colwill suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in training, the Premier League club said late on Thursday, with the 22-year-old expected to miss much of the new season.

The England international underwent successful surgery on the injury, Chelsea added.

It typically takes some six to nine months for a player to recover from an ACL injury and return to action.

"The 22-year-old had reported back to Cobham for pre-season at the start of this week, before unfortunately sustaining the injury in training," Chelsea said in a statement.

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