Ben Chilwell's recovery from a partial anterior cruciate ligament tear had gone as well as hoped. A fortnight after limping off against Juventus in late November, the Chelsea full-back was jogging around the training pitches at Cobham. Three weeks later, a return to first-team training was planned. All that stood in Chilwell's way was a Christmas Day rehabilitation session.
"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," the England international explains. "But on Christmas Day, I was doing a session out on the pitch, and I just felt it go again.
"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."
