Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas to wear protective face mask after trip to visit specialist in Milan following nose break

 

Cesc Fabregas will wear a special protective face mask for Chelsea after breaking his nose last weekend - and Sportsmail can exclusively reveal what the Spanish midfielder's shield will look like.

Fabregas suffered the break during Chelsea's win over Stoke City on Saturday, taking a hit to the face from Charlie Adam's forearm minutes before the Scot struck a 66-yard wonder goal at Stamford Bridge.

The Spaniard has since travelled to Milan to see a specialist, who produced masks for Fernando Torres, Petr Cech and Demba Ba previously, in the hope of returning to action as soon as possible

The mask, branded with Fabregas's initial and squad number 'C4', was made by the Ortholabsport, an orthopedic centre in Milan, and their craftsmen Stefano Duchini and Lucilla Pezzoni.

The centre became famous for its work with former Chelsea players Torres and Ba, but also work with Manchester City, Fulham and European clubs including Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk as well as the Italian national team.

Fabregas travelled to Milan on Tuesday with Chelsea medical director Paco Biosca to have the mask fitted.

 

The 27-year-old, who played on for the entire 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge last Saturday, could be ready to play against Queens Park Rangers on Sunday if manager Jose Mourinho selects his star midfielder.

John Obi Mikel should be ready to return for the Blues at Loftus Road after resuming training with the first-team squad last week but being too tired to play any part in the win over Stoke.

But Fabregas's countryman Diego Costa is expected to miss at least two weeks of action, with the striker earmarking the trip to face Arsenal on April 26 for his return from a hamstring problem.