Parker blames injury on new pitch

Parker has found first-team opportunities limited

Chelsea midfielder Scott Parker has blamed the newly-laid Stamford Bridge pitch for the broken foot he suffered during the 4-0 win over Norwich.

Parker injured a metatarsal and is facing three months out of action and he believes the pitch played its part.

"The pitch was pretty poor, I seemed to buckle my foot and I knew straight away because I felt something pop," he said.

"I went to a specialist and we've ruled out it being a stress fracture. We think it is a straight break."

He added: "I went straight over to the bench after we had scored and I said to (physio) Mike Banks I think I have broken something in my foot.

"The boss said to come off but I wanted to carry on. Everyone knows my situation and I just wanted to impress.

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"Maybe I've made it a bit worse but I just wanted to stay on. It was probably stupid. It was only five minutes after coming on and I didn't want to come off.

"If I can be back in late February, early March I will be really happy.

"I was speaking to Steven Gerrard about his recovery and he has given me a bit of hope because he was back playing in eight weeks."

Parker joined Chelsea from Charlton Athletic in January for £10m but has struggled to force his way into the starting line-up, appearing in only 10 games in the last two months.