Ben Chilwell has reflected on his “tough” and lengthy time on the sidelines last season after partially tearing his anterior cruciate ligament.
The 25-year-old picked up an all-but season ending injury against Juventus in the Champions League last November, which saw him make a cameo appearance on the final day of the season as a welcome boost to him and head Thomas Tuchel.
It was unclear if Chilwell required ACL surgery as the club left it for a few weeks towards the end of 2021 to see if an operation was required.
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Things looked positive for the England international, but at the end of December, Chilwell suffered a setback in Chelsea training which forced him to have season, putting him in the medical room for several months.
"The plan was for me to watch the guys on Boxing Day and then train with the group that didn't play on the 27th," Chilwell told reporters.
"But on Christmas Day, I was doing a session out on the pitch, and I just felt it go again.
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"It was the same thing that happened against Juventus. I planted my foot on the grass, and my knee just buckled. It wasn't as painful, but it was the same feeling I had against Juventus – and I knew I couldn't go through my career doing that every month.”
Chilwell is back involved in pre-season with the rest of his teammates after returning to their Cobham training ground earlier to undergo a personal programme.
The left wing-back even scored in the in-house game last week.
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He, along with the rest of the squad, flew out to America on Saturday for their pre-season tour of the United States, beginning their first week in Los Angeles before heading to Las Vegas to face Club America.
Chilwell added: "I'm quite good with adversity. And while it obviously affected me because I was having a good season, I took it in my stride.
“I was pretty positive straight after the surgery because in my head, once that was done, I was ready to crack on with the rehab, get stronger, get fitter, become mentally stronger, and come back for pre-season flying and ready to go."
He continued: "It was tough for everyone involved with Chelsea. Reece and I were loving the way we were playing, both so confident in our game.
"We had a little friendly competitiveness as to who could score or assist the most. The team was playing really well, and everyone was happy.
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"It gives us a lot of confidence going into this season with what at the moment is, touch wood, a fully fit team.
"It gives us confidence that we can have a good pre-season and a really good season together."
Topics: Ben Chilwell, Chelsea
Matthew Debono