Following Antonio Rudiger’s unfortunate injury at Anfield, Chelsea have suddenly found themselves a bit short in defensive options.

Indeed, apart from David Luiz and Andreas Christensen, there aren’t really many other centre-backs they could choose from their talent pool and, clearly, that's a big problem for a team chasing both a top-four spot and the Europa League crown.

As a result, it might be time for Gary Cahill to come out from exile. Recently, Chelsea’s assistant manager Gianfranco Zola even admitted their former captain might just be used if an emergency hits. However, this could end up being a horrible decision. Cahill hasn’t played top-flight football in over six months, last appearing in a UEFA Europe League group stage match in November.

After failing to move in January, he’s been forced to stay in the sidelines. Now that Chelsea are painfully short in options, turning to him could create fatal consequences. Cahill, who is valued at £9 million (by Transfermarkt), last played a Premier League match in September and just isn’t match-fit to blend in with the intensity of the league right now.

He could end up causing more headaches for Maurizio Sarri with his slow style of defending and derail the Blues' quest for a top-four finish. While what’s happening to Chelsea’s former captain itself is cruel, it’s no point trying to undo the mistreatment by playing him at his worst.

Instead, Chelsea could look towards youth as Marc Guehi’s doing a great job in their youth level. While Rudiger shouldn’t really be out injured for much and Christensen should cover for him, Maurizio Sarri shouldn’t even think of playing Cahill as it brings unfixable problems which could destroy his top-four ambitions.

Chelsea fans, would you want to see Cahill playing during Rudiger's absence? Join the discussion by commenting below...