FEARS SURROUND DI MATTEO'S FUTURE
The Chelsea midfielder, who suffered a horrific triple fracture of his leg in the Uefa Cup tie against St Gallen in September, has undergone a fourth operation to repair the damaged leg.
The 32-year-old, former Italian international, faces major problems after it was discovered that there were complications with nerves in the leg, which required further surgery.
The injury has put serious question marks over whether Di Matteo will ever return to fitness, and the West London club fear he could suffer the same fate as Pierluigi Casiraghi, who had to retire after failing to recover from a major knee problem sustained in a game against West Ham.
Meanwhile, Blues striker Gianfranco Zola has played down rumours of a dispute with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, after the pair argued over who would take a free-kick against Southampton.
The former Parma and Napoli star denies he has fallen out with Chelsea's £15m record signing, despite the pair's very obvious squabbling in the 3-2 defeat.
"What happened on Saturday goes on all the time during a game, many players will discuss the value of what to do next, it doesn't mean that they have fallen out with each other," said Zola.
"Until I saw the pictures I had completely forgotten about it. Jimmy and I have no problems."
