Chelsea summer signing Raheem Sterling has stepped up his recovery from a hamstring injury ahead of the Blues' clash against Fulham next week. Sterling has not featured since the Premier League defeat against his former side Manchester City at the start of 2023.
There is hope that both Reece James and Ben Chilwell can make their returns when Chelsea welcome their west London rivals to Stamford Bridge on February 3. 10 players were ruled out earlier this month with Christian Pulisic suffering a knee problem in the same match which saw Sterling limp off the pitch.
James and Chilwell were both back in team training ahead of the trip to Anfield which saw Graham Potter's side draw against Liverpool. Neither were involved in that fixture but there is an expectation the defensive duo can feature in some capacity against Fulham.
READ MORE: Chelsea injury woes begin to ease with Graham Potter set for triple boost ahead of Fulham
Now the 28-year-old winger looks set to be in contention to make a return alongside James and Chilwell against the Cottagers after taking the next step in his rehabilitation. Chelsea confirmed the England international has returned to the grass to take part in some light individual training with a view to join his teammates in full training next week.
Mykhailo Mudryk's arrival has softened the blow of losing Sterling and Pulisic through injury with the Ukraine international pushing to start against Fulham after an impressive cameo against Liverpool. Potter will hope he can welcome back all three England internationals in the coming weeks and boost the Blues' attempts of claiming an unlikely top four spot come the end of the season.
READ NEXT:
Chelsea gain instant benefit of £18m transfer decision as 'complete player' fulfils his dream
Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea transfer: New £88m bid, £1.76m compensation, Liverpool interest
The eight players who could leave Chelsea amid interest in Enzo Fernandez and Malo Gusto
Find the footballs on the football.london website to win cash prize, vouchers and TV worth £3,000
Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and gossip from Stamford Bridge
