Carragher insists it'll be 'difficult' for Thiago Silva to return to Blues team

Jamie Carragher believes it will be difficult for Thiago Silva to reclaim his place in the Chelsea team once he returns to full fitness.

The 39-year-old defender missed the 1-1 draw with Manchester City after suffering an injury during Monday's win over Crystal Palace.

Silva has been a mainstay in Chelsea's defence since joining the club in 2020 but Carragher says his time in west London must come to an end once his contract expires at the end of the season.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Liverpool defender said: 'Couple of away games, you go back to Aston Villa in the cup and here today, Thiago Silva has not been involved and he's been brilliant for chelsea since he's come in.

'His contract is up at the end of the season and whe. you see those who play in there together, i think it makes it very difficult for Thiago Silva to get back into the team between now and the end of the season unless someone gets injured.

'I think Chelsea got to start building something for the future. There's not an awful lot to play for after the (Carabao) Cup final. I think looking at those as a partnership and maybe another younger centre back.

i think the days of Thiago Silva playing for Chelsea has got to come to an end.'

In Silva's absence at the Etihad, a partnership of Levi Colwill and Axel Disasi impressed before Rodri's late equaliser.

The latter caught the eye of Carragher who heaped praise on him, saying: 'I can't remember a better defensive performance (than Disasi). He was brilliant. That was almost like a bit of a throwback, backs against the wall.

Fellow Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards added: I think it's more positioning. He's very strong, very fast, he's aggressive. He was thinking about his positioning and where to be.

Since