He has been ruled out: Chelsea suffer major blow ahead of game against Aston Villa

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has suffered a major blow as his injured squad continues to pile up.

The Blues who recently suffered a humiliating defeat to Arsenal in their last Premier League outing, have at least 10 key players on the sidelines.

While Cole Palmer has been tipped to return when they face Aston Villa on Saturday, a recent report has revealed that the Blues will be without Enzo Fernandez.

Fernandez has been one of the regular performers for the Blues this season but has been ruled out for the remainder of campaign.

A report via Argentine media outfit Ole, revealed Fernandez is set to undergo surgery on a long-standing hernia issue.

The Blues star who was unavailable during their 6-0 win over Everton earlier this month, had been tipped to go for an operation once Chelsea had played Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final.

After the game, he was available during their match against Arsenal but was later withdrawn amid claims that it was a case of managing his fitness.

However, the reports claimed Fernandez, Chelsea and Argentina have agreed that the player undergoes surgery.

Fernandez is expected to be out for at least three weeks, which means he might not be back before the season ends