Essien injury return fears allayed

English side Chelsea have confirmed Michael Essien is not injured as initially feared which means he is on course for a Black Stars return in June as widely speculated.

This also means Essien’s charity game between an African XI select side and a World XI select side the AU Peace Ambassador has lined for 25 May will go ahead

Scans showed he suffered only a minor tendon problem in Saturday’s victory over West Ham which makes the midfielder available for their must-win Premier League clash with Tottenham on Saturday.

Essien had to be helped from the field shortly before the hour mark of the Blues’ 3-0 derby win at Stamford Bridge after pulling up with what appeared to be a left knee injury.

Scans on Tuesday showed the problem was with a tendon but the 28-year-old escaped any serious damage and will be monitored ahead of Saturday evening’s Spurs match.

“Michael had a minor problem with a tendon above his knee during the West Ham game and came off as a precaution,” Chelsea said in a statement on their official website

“Scans show no significant issues in that area. We will look at him over the course of this week with regards to availability for the weekend.”

The loss of Essien for the final four games of the season would have been a blow to Chelsea’s slim hopes of retaining the Premier League title.

The midfielder had begun to rediscover his form after Ancelotti restored the Blues’ three-man midfield with John Obi Mikel in the anchor role, allowing Essien to get further forward