Chelsea defender Gary Cahill undergoes knee operation

Gary Cahill believes a “ridiculous” fixture list is endangering Chelsea's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League (Getty Images)

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has had a knee operation, Rafael Benitez has revealed, but the interim manager is confident of a swift return. The 27-year-old withdrew from England duty ahead of the World Cup qualifiers with San Marino and Montenegro last month with the problem.

Cahill has not played since suffering the injury in the defeat of West Ham United last month and is set to miss a further two weeks or more after the minor meniscus operation, but Benitez is optimistic a return is near. "He had an operation," Benitez said. "We did it very quickly on the Saturday of the Southampton game [30 March]."