Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Mikel Obi required a minor surgery on his knee in order to be match fit, and he is not expected to return to action until April.

The Nigerian midfielder has been absent from the Blues’ last four outings, including the weekend’s victory over Tottenham in the Capital One Cup final. The Nigerian did not even feature in the post-match celebrations around the Wembley pitch.

And with Nemanja Matic and Mikel out for the game at Wembley on Sunday, Mourinho played the young Kurt Zouma in the defensive midfield position. Matic was banned following his shove on Burnley’s Ashley Barnes.

In the pre-match press conference held on Tuesday ahead of their English Premier League game against West Ham Mourinho said, “Mikel had a little surgery on his meniscus. We are expecting him to be out for about a month – one week is already gone. There is not too much optimism or pessimism.

“I would say (he will return) first week of April.”

Mikel is expected to miss the Nigeria versus Bolivia match billed for Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on March 26 and also miss the Premier League matches against West Ham, Southampton and Hull City. He is also not expected to feature the UEFA Champions League last-16 match against Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge.