Benayoun out for six months

Bad news for Chelsea and Israel midfielder Yossi Benayoun, who is now expected to be out six months following surgery on his achille's tendon.

Benayoun suffered a torn calf muscle during the Carling Cup defeat to Newcastle last month. He subsequently joined up with the Israel national side but suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during training, and further tests have revealed the extent of the problem.

A statement on the club's official website read: "Yossi Benayoun will undergo surgery on his Achilles on Monday. The Israeli international returned to the club from international duty last week, and will now be out of action for approximately six months."

Benayoun has yet to start a Premier League game for Chelsea after joining the club from Liverpool in the summer and admitted he was surprised that the club failed to pick up the problem earlier.

"The truth is that this entire situation is very strange," Benayoun said. "I had three MRIs and three ultrasounds and they all said that there was no problem, and it was just a small tear.

"I came to Israel ready to play and they told me it was a big tear. Chelsea were sure it was something small. They have compared all the images and they do not understand how they missed it. They said it is unusual to have such a big tear and not be in terrible pain. Even now I am not in pain but I cannot take one step by myself until I undergo surgery."

As noted, Benayoun's time with the Blues thus far has been a complete disaster so this injury certainly doesn't help his cause to show he was worth Roman's precious oil money.