England defender Ashley Cole will have surgery to repair a broken left ankle that has ruled him out of action for three months. However, Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is confident he won't miss the World Cup.
The left back was injured during a challenge by American midfielder Landon Donovan in a Premier League game against Everton on Wednesday night. Acelotti expects Cole to be playing in time for England's World Cup opener against the United States on June 12.
``I'm disappointed because Ashley is a very important player for us, but it can happen that a player gets an injury,'' Ancelotti said Friday.
``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.''
Ancelotti said Cole's place in the Chelsea lineup to face Cardiff in the last 16 of the FA Cup on Saturday will be taken by Yury Zhirkov.
``It's bad news because Ashley is a very important player for us,'' Ancelotti said. ``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.''
