Bosingwa out for three weeks

10:38pm Saturday 26th July 2008

Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa has been ruled out for three weeks after tearing a thigh muscle on his Blues debut earlier this week.

The 25-year-old, who joined Chelsea from FC Porto over the summer, managed just 20 minutes against Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Pharmaceutical before complaining of a thigh complaint.

He underwent a scan in Macau and the decision was made to send the Portugal international back to Chelsea's Cobham training ground for treatment.

Bosingwa faces a race against time to be fit for the Premier League opener against Portsmouth at Stamford Bridge on August 17 after suffering the tear, which is being described as "minor" by Chelsea.

Chelsea coach Luis Felipe Scolari said: "He is out for two weeks minimum for treatment and he won't be able to play for three weeks.

"At the moment, he is out of the first game against Portsmouth.

"I have players who can cover.

"I played with Paulo today (Saturday's 7-0 win over Chengdu Blades), Essien also played there for 30 minutes, and they both played very well so it is not a problem for us."

Meanwhile, following England's exit from the UEFA European Under-19 Championships, Scott Sinclair joined up with the squad in the Far East on Saturday.

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