Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic's ankle injury 'not as bad as first feared'

Chelsea may have reportedly received a boost ahead of the FA Cup final after it was claimed that Mateo Kovacic's ankle injury is not as bad as first feared.

During the first half of Wednesday's 3-0 victory at Leeds United, Kovacic was on the receiving end of a wild challenge from Dan James, who was subsequently handed a red card.

After the game at Elland Road, Blues head coach Thomas Tuchel suggested that the Croatia international would require "a miracle" to be involved at Wembley Stadium.

However, according to journalist Tom Roddy of The Times, the ankle injury sustained by Kovacic is not as severe as initially feared.

The 28-year-old is in line to feature in training on Friday in a bid to prove his fitness ahead of the showdown with Liverpool.

Kovacic has made a total of 29 starts and 11 substitute appearances for Chelsea in all competitions during 2021-22, Tuchel adding on Wednesday that he would have been a certain starter against the Merseyside giants.