Chelsea’s preparations for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur have been severely disrupted by Gary Cahill spending two nights in hospital with a mystery illness.

It is understood Cahill was admitted to hospital on Tuesday after training and was only released on Thursday, following treatment and tests, putting his participation in the semi-final tie in doubt.

Head coach Antonio Conte will now have to decide whether or not he can risk Cahill against Tottenham, with Kurt Zouma, John Terry, who has confirmed he will leave Chelsea at the end of the season, and Nathan Ake on standby.

Cahill first started to feel ill on Monday, the day after playing in Chelsea’s Premier League defeat to Manchester United in which Conte’s plans had been hit by illness and injury.

Marcos Alonso missed the United game with a stomach bug that Diego Costa and Victor Moses played with, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois injured his ankle in a basketball promotional shoot.