Chelsea’s Musonda on the ‘right track’ to recovery

Chelsea midfielder Charles Musonda is confident he is on the ‘right track to recovery from posterior cruciate ligament damage.

The 24-year-old suffered the problems during his loan with Vitesse Arnhem having only cut short his temporary stay with Celtic in 2018.

Musonda made four league appearances for the Eredivisie side before the injury setback and returned to Stamford Bridge to continue his rehabilitation.

The midfielder admitted it has been tough for him not to play for about three years but he is upbeat that there will be light at the end of the tunnel.

"It's very difficult to have three years without being able to do what you really love. I would be lying to say that it's been easy, but I've always known that some struggles are worth going through,” Musonda told BBC.

"I feel like a fighter now preparing for a boxing match. It would be an incredible comeback - an incredible story. Every day is part of the journey, every day a step closer to coming back. I'm on the right track.

"I do believe that if I put a run together and I come back, I can play for a good 10 years. I'm still 24 - if I come back in the prime of my career, I can put a run together - that's my goal."

The midfielder recollected how he suffered the injury and the advice of the doctors but hopes to return to action better than he left.

"I knew something was wrong straight away because I got up and I couldn't walk," he continued.

"The doctors said: 'If you have surgery now, you're going to miss another year. It's going to be three years of no football so it's going to be impossible for you to come back'.

"A PCL surgery is not common in football. It's not like an ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] where you have surgery and in six months you can come back.

"They told me the odds of coming back were like 20%. Of coming back and being at the top level, being able to compete and play for a club like Chelsea, it was slim to none. It was very difficult."

Musonda has been with the Stamford Bridge outfit since he was 15 years but has only featured six times for the senior side, scoring his first goal in a League Cup tie against Nottingham Forest in 2017 and relished the opportunity he had with the Blues.

"I remember that in cup matches, the manager would say we could stay at home, rather than in the Premier League and Champions League when you stay in the hotel as a team," he added.

"For me, it was like the World Cup final. I stayed at the hotel by myself. I scored and had a good game so I was very happy. It was a great moment. The joy, though, was short-lived.”

As a result of his injury, the midfielder could only watch as some of his former academy teammates like Tammy Abraham, Reece James, and Mason Mount establish themselves in the Blues' first team.

"I know how hard it is, so I'm really proud of them. Seeing people you've grown up with doing so well, you can only be happy. Hopefully, I'll be able to one day train and play with them again,” he continued.

"In a way, it has been, just because I can't play football. That's the main thing, it's not necessarily them, it's just watching football on TV.

"I spend nights thinking I can't watch football, sometimes I couldn't really sleep."