Essien buoyed by comeback

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien is confident he has made a full recovery from an injured-ravaged past season.

The Ghana international has been sidelined since December with a knee ligament injury which also forced him to miss the World Cup.

Essien made a goalscoring return to action in Saturday's 1-0 friendly victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and was delighted by his comeback.

"It feels good, it's been a long time but I am back in full training now, everything is good and there is no reaction from the training, so things are looking good for me," he told the club's official website.

"I didn't have any holidays because of my rehab, but it will be good to start up again and I am looking forward to the rest of the boys coming back as well.

"I'd love to have been there playing at the end of the season, it wasn't easy for me but I supported my team-mates to win their matches, that's all I could do.

"I became a supporter and to end the season with two trophies was amazing and I was enjoying it like everyone even though I didn't play the whole season."