Chelsea’s ‘forgotten man’ Michael Essien insists he is going nowhere and will fight for his future at the club
Michael Essien has attempted to end the growing uncertainty over his future by claiming he has no intention of leaving Chelsea.
The European champions are understood to be open to offers for Essien, as well as Florent Malouda and Yossi Benayoun, as they attempt to reduce the size of their squad and change their style of play after spending £68 million this summer on four attacking midfielders with two more signings expected.
After a series of serious knees injuries, Essien is no longer regarded as a first-team regular and was on the bench for the Champions League final despite Chelsea having four players suspended.
However the 29 year-old argued that he did not feel like Chelsea’s “forgotten man” and added: “My intention is to stay and I’m looking forward to a new season I still have two more years here. I’m still here, I’m still around.”
Essien, speaking at a coaching clinic in Miami to help youngsters from the Caribbean and Central America diaspora, during Chelsea’s pre-season tour to the United States, added: “I feel now that I am coming back to what I used to be. It’s been a long road but I am almost there.”
Essien ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments in July 2011, following a similar injury in 2008, but he said he was never concerned that his career would not recover. “I was never worried about that,” he maintained. “It’s always frustrating when you are injured and not playing but you have to work and stay positive.