Why Chelsea's Kovacic missed Croatia vs England ahead of massive Spurs clash

The 24-year-old did not play for Croatia at Wembley

Mateo Kovacic has been in and out of the Chelsea side since joining the club on loan from Real Madrid in the summer but he has been Maurizio Sarri's go-to-guy when it comes to the big matches.

It doesn't get much bigger than Tottenham Hotspur away, which the Blues have ahead of them on Saturday afternoon. The 24-year-old would be a front runner for the starting midfield position, however his role might now be in doubt after not being in the squad for Croatia's match against England.

The midfielder was not named on the teamsheet for the Nations League clash, despite key midfielder Ivan Rakitic having picked up an injury in the win over Spain and also missing out.

Kovacic, however, did not train with the rest of the side on Saturday in the build-up to the crunch match and according to reports from Croatian media he has picked up a minor muscle injury.

While the reports suggest that the injury it is not too serious, it was enough to pull him out of the fixture.

Kovacic has made something of a mixed start to life at Chelsea. His quality has been showing on several occasions, however a lack of productivity in the final third with just one assist to his name has been a disappointment.

Meanwhile, Ross Barkley starts for England this afternoon and has netted three times in the Premier League with another three assists to his name as well.