Chelsea and England [Images] midfielder Frank Lampard [Images] will miss the next few weeks of the season after tearing a muscle in his right thigh, the club confirmed on Thursday.

Lampard went off injured after 26 minutes of Wednesday's thrilling 4-4 draw with Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge and joins a long Chelsea injury list which includes John Terry, Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda.

In a statement on their website, Chelsea confirmed: "Scans ... revealed a tear in Frank Lampard's right thigh. He will begin rehabilitation immediately and we hope to have him back playing within a few weeks."

The tear is not in the same thigh he injured earlier in the season, the club said.