Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel issues Antonio Rudiger injury update ahead of Manchester United clash

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel is hopeful that centre-back Antonio Rudiger will return for Thursday evening's Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The German, who has been of interest to United in recent months, missed Chelsea's narrow 1-0 win over West Ham United on Sunday afternoon because of a mixture of groin and hamstring troubles. It was the second game in a row that he had been forced to miss, following his absence against Arsenal last Wednesday evening.

Rudiger, who will leave Stamford Bridge when his contract expires at the end of the season, has been one of Chelsea's best players this campaign, and his presence has been missed at centre-back in the last two matches. However, should all go to plan as far as his recovery is concerned, Tuchel is confident that the former Roma man could return for their trip north to face United.

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"It is a groin in one leg and the other leg a bit the hamstring," Tuchel told Chelsea's club website. "He is somebody who plays through pain anyway and is totally used to it.

"It's muscle pain, not even an injury but a huge discomfort. He feels insecure because he's not used to having muscle injuries.

"He feels like it could happen but he wants to come back. The plan is that he's back in training on Tuesday for Thursday [against Man United] and hopefully we can stick to the plan."

On Rudiger's future, Tuchel continued: "The media is reporting things and the situation seems to be that he leaves the club. He informed me of this some days ago in a personal talk.

"I have the feeling that we gave everything over many months, both me personally and the club, but unfortunately