London, July 26: Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is a doubtful starter for the season curtain raiser against Manchester United in the Community Shield at Wembley on August 8 after undergoing groin surgery.
A Chelsea statement read: "Didier Drogba successfully underwent minimally invasive surgery yesterday on the groin injury that had troubled him for some of last season.
"The decision to perform the procedure after his return from the World Cup was made to optimise his rehabilitation, and he is expected to return to full training in approximately three weeks," The Telegraph quoted the statement as saying further.
Chelsea is facing player fitness problems on several fronts. Goalkeeper Petr Cech has been ruled out for a month with a torn calf, Alex is out for a month with a thigh injury and new signing Yossi Benayoun is also out for the foreseeable future.