Ross Barkley will hand Chelsea manager Antonio Conte a boost during the international break by returning to training next week, claims The Daily Telegraph.
The 24-year-old has missed Chelsea’s last nine matches in all competitions with a hamstring injury similar to the one that forced him to sit out the first six months of the season with Everton.
His current injury is not as a serious as the one sustained in pre-season and he is due to return to first-team training with Conte’s side next week to boost Chelsea’s chances of finishing in the top four.
The reigning Premier League champions signed Barkley for £15m in January but he has been limited to just three appearances in all competitions for Chelsea and hasn’t featured since January.
Time has all but run out on Barkley’s chances of making the 2018 World Cup but his only focus is helping Chelsea finish as high in the table as possible and win the FA Cup.
Conte’s midfield options have been thin in recent months, as Danny Drinkwater, Tiemoue Bakayoko and N’Golo Kante have all experienced their own problems.
In 54 minutes of Premier League football this season, Barkley has attempted one shot and created one goalscoring opportunity.
