Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Luke Thrower

Chelsea star Ben Chilwell explains injury comeback plan with major England World Cup motivation

Chelsea star Ben Chilwell has revealed that returning to action for England has been a main motivator for getting through his recent injury struggles. The 26-year-old has suffered with some absences over the past two seasons, but has finally made his return to action in recent weeks.

That comes as a huge boost to Graham Potter, who is able to mix and match the left-hand-side of his system after the addition of Marc Cucurella last summer. The manager believes the defender has gotten stronger since coming back from injury over the past month.

“That’s sort of what I’ve been talking about for a while," Potter said earlier this month when asked about Chilwell finding some form. “When you’re not winning, it doesn’t matter, but the likes of Ben [Chilwell], Wesley [Fofana], Ruben [Loftus-Cheek], Reece [James], and Raheem [Sterling] are all getting minutes in the Premier League.

READ MORE: Graham Potter handed Reece James injury update as Chelsea star 'concerned' before Aston Villa tie

“In an ideal world, you’d build that up in pre-season and have five or six weeks of build-up on the pitch. We’ve not been able to do that, so they have had to do it in the Premier League. Ben has got stronger and stronger as the weeks have gone on."

The left-back's injury troubles saw him miss out on a spot at the World Cup in Qatar last year, however his recent form saw him back in the squad for England's European Championship qualifiers - where the side won their opening two games. Detailing his comeback, he said: "It’s been a while since I put the jersey on, so I wanted to make sure I played well.

“It was [the hope of having] moments like putting that shirt on tonight that kept me going. To know that the hard work paid off and to get the chance to start again for England, I’m very happy. International football is very difficult in its own right. But when you’re playing well for your club, you bring that form into international games.”

Chilwell will now rejoin the Blues for the end of the Premier League campaign, hopeful of continuing that recent spell to propel the side up the league before the summer internationals.

READ NEXT:

Graham Potter sacked, Champions League winners: Pundits predict Chelsea end of season outcome

Ten Chelsea stars could be sold as Todd Boehly can earn £182m transfer windfall to upgrade squad

Todd Boehly can use Chelsea secret weapon to beat Man City and sign £50m-rated Southampton star

Thomas Tuchel could raid Chelsea for three transfers after Bayern Munich announcement

Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from Stamford Bridge

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.