© EuroFootball.com
Ukraine's national team star and London club striker Andriy Shevchenko will not be able to help the "Blues" on May 19th in the FA Cup final at the new "Wembley" stadium against the "Premier" league champion "Man Utd" due to a groin operation.
Initially, it was thought that the player would undergo surgery immediately after the end of the English "Premier" league season, but the club's medical staff decided to perform it earlier.
"The decision to perform the surgery earlier was made by the medical department of Chelsea Football Club. Previously, the surgery was planned to take place at the end of the season," the club's statement said.
There's no information yet on when the Ukrainian captain will return to the field, and it is believed that he won't be able to recover in time for the 2008 European Championship qualifying match against France on June 2nd.
Shevchenko missed the "Premier" league match against Arsenal and also did not play in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Liverpool. The Ukrainian will also miss this Wednesday's league match against Man Utd, the match against Liverpool's Everton, and the FA Cup final against the same Man Utd.
The 30-year-old footballer joined Chelsea last summer for a record 45 million euros (30 million pounds sterling), but he failed to show the same level of performance in his first season in England as he did while playing for Milan.
This season, the Ukrainian scored only 4 goals in the Premier League, adding three each in the FA Cup, Carling Cup, UEFA Champions League matches, and one in the Community Shield match against Liverpool.
