Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti insists Ashley Cole will be fit for the World Cup this summer after the defender underwent surgery on his broken ankle on Friday afternoon. Cole fractured a bone in his ankle after a clash with United States striker Landon Donovan in Chelsea's 2-1 defeat by Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday night and Ancelotti admits the injury is a real blow.
"It's bad news because Ashley is a very important player for us," said Ancelotti. "But we have the opportunity to play Yury Zhirkov, another fantastic left-back, and I have confidence that he will do a very good job.
"He's played very well in the last few games, and has played very well at left-back as well as in midfield. I've said I have a lot of confidence in him.
"He's a very good player. We wanted to buy him in the summer also for this - he could be an alternative to Ashley. Now his moment has come and I think he will be fit to do his best.
"I'm disappointed because Ashley is a very important player for us, but it can happen that a player gets an injury.
"I hope he recovers quickly and comes back before the end of the season. That's a realistic possibility. He will have surgery today and we hope to recuperate him quickly.
"In three months he will be ready to play, so for England he can play in the World Cup."
