Chelsea have been cheered by the news that midfielder
Michael Essien made a successful return to action with the club’s
reserves on Monday night.
The Ghanaian star has not played for The Blues since sustaining
a cruciate ligament injury and undergoing surgery following a World
Cup qualifier against Libya in September.
After spending six months on the sidelines the former Lyon
midfielder has now signalled his availability to manager Guus
Hiddink by appearing for the club’s second string.
Essien played the full 90 minutes of a 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa
and scored the final goal of the game at Villa Park.
Monday’s game was also notable for the return of Ricardo
Carvalho who played for an hour with no complications.
The Portugal international has not played for the West London
side for five weeks due to a hamstring problem.