Football - Chelsea's van Ginkel faces six months out of action

Chelsea's Dutch international midfielder Marco van Ginkel could be out of action for six months after knee surgery on Thursday.

R Marco van Ginkel

The 20-year-old Dutchman injured his anterior cruciate ligament during the first half of a Capital One (League) Cup match at Swindon on Tuesday. Chelsea said in a statement that the surgery had been successful.

Van Ginkel, who joined the west Londoners in July from Vitesse Arnhem on a five-year contract, has made only two starts under manager Jose Mourinho.

He made his senior international debut last November and the layoff will be a blow to his hopes of selection for next year's World Cup in Brazil. Louis van Gaal's Dutch side have already qualified for the finals.