Radamel Falcao
Falcao has not played since October. Getty Images

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has claimed that Radamel Falcao will remain on the side-lines for a while because he barely can train with the rest of his teammates. The Dutch boss added that he still hopes the former Manchester United striker will recover in time to help the team in the last part of the campaign despite recently deciding to left him out of the 25-man squad for the Champions League knock-out stages to make room for January signing Alexandre Pato.

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The 29-year-old number nine has been on the sidelines since the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in October after which he suffered a setback while training when he was closing in on his return. His long-term absence fuelled speculation about his exit from west London during the January transfer window after Hiddink decided to bolster the attack with Pato.

But the manager has now suggested that Falcao still has a future at Stamford Bridge despite having left him out of the Champions League squad following the arrival of Pato. Nevertheless, Chelsea only had one striker available in the encounter with Manchester United on Sunday as the former AC Milan star is yet to gain his full fitness, while Loic Remy was also out due to another injury.

"Falcao wants to play but he can't do it yet because he is unable to train. He is currently undergoing treatment," Hiddink said to Direct TV Sport. "I hope him to be ready at some point because in the Premier League we need all our strikers."

"He has had bad luck this season. He was training and suffered a setback. Then he started training again and suffered another setback. It has been an injury with many setbacks and that was not good for him."