Antonio Conte admits he has no idea when Alvaro Morata will be fit and fears he could miss the rest of the season.
Antonio Conte speaks before struggling Chelsea face West Brom
Chelsea striker Morata has been out for nearly a month with a back injury and Conte claimed that his absence has had a big impact on their poor run of form.
Morata has trained this week but has already been ruled out for West Brom on Monday because of the long-running back problem.
Chelsea boss Conte said: “We are talking a lot about bad results, but sometimes we forget we are facing a serious situation.
"Players like Morata, for us, are very important and have been missing for a long period of time.
“I don't know how long he will be out. We are struggling a lot to find a solution to solve the pain in his back.
"If you ask me whether he needs a day, a month or the rest of the season, I don't know. I don't know. For this reason, I'm a bit worried. You know very well the importance of the player.”
Conte did hint that Olivier Giroud could start against West Brom on Monday night. Conte added: “Giroud has trained and will be in contention.”
Giroud moved to Chelsea in a bid to pave way for Aubameyang. He replaced Batshuayi who also moved to Dortmund on a season long loan. Giroud will beeping to make an impact in West Brom clash to earn the manager’s trust and win a place in the first team.