Ashley Cole should return from injury for Chelsea in two weeks’ time and be “100%” fit for World Cup duty, according to his manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Cole has been out of action since breaking his ankle two months ago, but the England left-back has made a swift recovery and returned to training two weeks ago. Ancelotti confirmed on Thursday that he is pencilled in for a return soon, giving him a chance to prove his fitness to England coach Fabio Capello ahead of the World Cup.
“He has been doing very well and needs some more training, but we hope he will be ready for the game against Stoke on April 25,” said Ancelotti.
“Ashley is a very important player for England. After that he will have one month so he will be ready 100 per cent fit for the World Cup.”
Ancelotti also suggested midfielder Michael Essien could return from his long-standing knee injury a week later, when he believes Chelsea’s push for the Premier League title will be harder because of Manchester United’s Champions League exit this week.
Ancelotti admitted Chelsea’s own Champions League exit last month gave them an inadvertent advantage over their rivals, with fewer high-intensity games, and he said: “I would have liked Manchester United to have beaten Bayern Munich to stay in the Champions League. It would have been easier for us at the end of the season.”
But he dismissed talk of a decline in English football because there are no Premier League clubs in the semi-finals of the Champions League. “It is just a blip that can happen sometimes," he said.
“The Premier League is still the best in Europe, not just for the play, but for the atmosphere and the quality of the teams. It is very competitive here, not just the top four but also Everton, Aston Villa and Tottenham.”
Cole has been out of action since breaking his ankle two months ago, but the England left-back has made a swift recovery and returned to training two weeks ago. Ancelotti confirmed on Thursday that he is pencilled in for a return soon, giving him a chance to prove his fitness to England coach Fabio Capello ahead of the World Cup.
“He has been doing very well and needs some more training, but we hope he will be ready for the game against Stoke on April 25,” said Ancelotti.
“Ashley is a very important player for England. After that he will have one month so he will be ready 100 per cent fit for the World Cup.”
Ancelotti also suggested midfielder Michael Essien could return from his long-standing knee injury a week later, when he believes Chelsea’s push for the Premier League title will be harder because of Manchester United’s Champions League exit this week.
Ancelotti admitted Chelsea’s own Champions League exit last month gave them an inadvertent advantage over their rivals, with fewer high-intensity games, and he said: “I would have liked Manchester United to have beaten Bayern Munich to stay in the Champions League. It would have been easier for us at the end of the season.”
But he dismissed talk of a decline in English football because there are no Premier League clubs in the semi-finals of the Champions League. “It is just a blip that can happen sometimes," he said.
“The Premier League is still the best in Europe, not just for the play, but for the atmosphere and the quality of the teams. It is very competitive here, not just the top four but also Everton, Aston Villa and Tottenham.”
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