• Premier League

Ancelotti upbeat on Terry fitness

ESPN staff
November 19, 2010
John Terry has never shirked the issue in a Chelsea shirt © Getty Images
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Chelsea are fighting mounting injury problems, but the club have issued some positive news on captain John Terry who could be back in action next week.

Terry was absent from Chelsea's home mauling at the hands of Sunderland with a nerve problem in his leg and the England defender said this week that he could be out for an extended period of time.

"I'm at my wit's end,'' he said. "I know I won't play against Birmingham on Saturday but beyond that there are no clues. It could be weeks, it could be months."

Terry went on to claim that he was no longer prepared to have painkilling injections to get on the park, but manager Carlo Ancelotti feels the defender's injury is one that could remedy itself in a matter of days.

"It is a muscle in his leg," Ancelotti said. "For this reason he feels pain. We have to relax his muscle. It is not true he will be out for a month. We have to look at it day by day. Today he has pain and will not be involved in the game tomorrow, but maybe in the next game he will be able to play.

"He has pain and is not able to play and it is not good as he is an important player, but we hope he can move on quickly and get him in a position to play."

Ancelotti feels players operating at less than the peak of their powers is all part of being a professional footballer.

"If he is not 100%, he has experience and ability to give fantastic support to the team," the Italian said. "It is difficult to have players 100% fit. I played for 20 years and can't think of the times I was 100%."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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