MX23RW : Friday, November 8 08:33:52| >> :120:35150:35150:

Ray Wilkins blames Rafael Benitez for Ashley Cole's injury

Wilkins: 'Benitez at fault for Cole injury'
© PA Photos
Ray Wilkins believes that Rafael Benitez should take the blame for Ashley Cole's hamstring injury that rules him out for two weeks.

Former Chelsea coach Ray Wilkins believes that interim manager Rafael Benitez should take the blame for Ashley Cole's hamstring injury.

The England international will be out of action for two weeks after suffering the problem during the Blues' FA Cup quarter-final replay victory over Manchester United yesterday.

Following the blow, Wilkins has claimed that Benitez's decision to rest Cole for Chelsea's 2-1 defeat to Southampton on Saturday made the full-back more prone to injury.

"He never played on Saturday at Southampton, he plays 15 minutes against United and Danny Welbeck takes him on a run and he pulls his hamstring," Wilkins told talkSPORT.

"I honestly feel he has to play all the time, Ashley. He is one of these machines. You have to keep it well oiled and it will fly. Had he played on Saturday, he wouldn't have done that yesterday."

Chelsea will face Manchester City in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

ID:77347: cacheID:77347:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2161:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Roman Abramovich
Read Next:
Wilkins: 'Not many managers left for Chelsea'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!