Medical expert issues ‘career-defining’ Ben Chilwell claim as Chelsea footage emerges
Chelsea star Ben Chilwell has given himself the best possible chance of a return in the peak physical condition in time for the potentially “career-defining” World Cup.
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Chilwell, 25, underwent surgery after an anterior cruciate ligament injury in December last year.
The left-back returned to action in the closing moments of Chelsea’s 2021-22 final-day victory over Watford, although Thomas Tuchel later admitted that this premature comeback was fraught with danger.
Club media confirmed on Monday (27 June) that the defender has returned to training early ahead of July’s pre-season tour of America.
The update was accompanied by video footage of Chilwell sending a rip-roaring 25-yard strike into the top corner at Cobham.
Dinnery insists that the 17-cap man’s impressive early return to training will stand him in good stead ahead of the mid-winter World Cup in Qatar.
“We saw Chiwell return to the Chelsea bench and given a five-minute cameo at the end of last season,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“It was a slightly strange decision. It was a risk that many people questioned. The player himself said he didn’t feel 100 per cent comfortable. He was coming off the back of no real competitive training sessions.
“However, this is a opportunity to initially work with the development side and prepare himself for when the first team fully returns, it’s all about building blocks and confidence.
“You can do all the tests in the world and be told that everything is stable and that your knee is ready to tolerate demands, but psychologically that confidence will only come with time.
“You have to twist and turn and go through the motions. With every session, that will build until hopefully, we see him at the level he was at pre-injury.
“There’s a World Cup in a few months’ time. These are the moments that define your career. He’ll want to do everything he can to ensure he’s in the best possible condition.”
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