 Shevchenko has had a troubled time at Chelsea |
Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin says he cannot play Andriy Shevchenko for a whole match against Uzbekistan because the Chelsea striker is not fit enough. Shevchenko, 30, has not played for Chelsea this season but has been struggling with a back injury.
"I don't even know if Shevchenko will be playing at all," said Blokhin.
"The issue is not the injury, but the fact he missed so much time and simply won't be ready. He's trained all week, but 90 minutes just isn't realistic."
Shevchenko struggled to make an impact at Chelsea last season after a �30m move from Italian club AC Milan.
Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho has used Didier Drogba, Claudio Pizarro and Salomon Kalou up front so far this season with Shevchenko a notable absentee.
Blokhin added: "It's up to the coach (Mourinho) to determine his own line-up.
"He is, after all, responsible for his team's record. So, in this instance, I can't help Shevchenko. Let's see how things go. The English championship is a long one."
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