Enzo Fernandez will miss the remainder of Chelsea’s season after undergoing surgery on a hernia injury.
The midfielder has registered seven goals and three assists in his first full season at Stamford Bridge but had been experiencing pain in recent weeks.
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The £105million signing will miss the Blues final six games of the season including crunch clashes against Aston Villa, Tottenham and West Ham.
Fernandez is expected to recover in time for Argentina’s defence of the Copa America this summer.
The World Cup winner will be out of action for around three weeks allowing him time to prepare for the Copa America which kicks off on June 20 in the United States.
After consultations between Argentina’s medical team and their Chelsea counterparts, it was agreed that surgery would be the best course of action.
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It comes at a time when Chelsea’s season is all but over following Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City.
It was followed by Tuesday night’s 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal which put a huge dent in their faint hopes of qualifying for Europe next season.
Fernandez has been in and out of the Chelsea line up in recent weeks having missed the 6-0 demolition of Everton before returning for last weekend's defeat at Wembley.
His last game came in Tuesday's defeat at the Emirates Stadium where he was replaced midway through the second half.
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Fernandez was signed for a British record transfer fee in January 2023 but has since been surpassed by Moises Caicedo.
Opinion has been split on the Argentine who has yet to replicate his World Cup heroics since arriving at Stamford Bridge.
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Boss Mauricio Pochettino believes the best is yet to come form his fellow countryman and expects fans to see the true Fernandez next season.
'He is going to be much better next season, after the experience of the whole season in this squad and this team," said Pochettino.
"He’s more experienced, he gets better feelings. The whole season is good for him to learn.
"Even if he is a world champion, he needs to adapt to the Premier League and to this club. For me, there is no doubt that he is going to be much better."