'Chelsea was the team I grew up supporting' – Returning midfield star on his past and future at Chelsea

Carney Chukwuemeka has made two appearances off the bench in recent weeks, and looks set for a first start later today, if Mauricio Pochettino is given the green light with regards to his fitness.

It’s been a long and painful road back from injury since August, and in an exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph, Chukwuemeka revealed a little bit about what it had been like, and what we can expect from him going forward:

“It’s a great feeling to be back and now I want to help the team and establish myself as a starter. I want to contribute goals and assists to the team, move up the table and I’m looking forward to hopefully coming up against Villa.”

“When I was 15, I played off the left but came inside a lot because I wasn’t really a typical winger,” he says. “At 16 the decision was made to play in midfield. My coaches saw something that maybe they hadn’t seen before. Now I’m most effective as a box-to-box No 8 where I can drive with the ball.

“Playing as a No 10, I can link up play so my flair comes out a bit but I don’t mind. I’m powerful, a good dribbler, good at connecting play and technique.”

He also revealed he had signed for Chelsea in part because he grew up as a fan of the Blues:

“Chelsea was the team I grew up supporting and I said to my dad [Charles] ‘let’s get it done’,” Chukwuemeka admitted. “I didn’t want to waste any time. I just came from winning the under-19s Euros with England that summer and a week after they were calling and there was only one place I was going. I backed myself to go there and play, and make an impact because I know what I can do and I trust myself and the people around me.”

Chukwuemeka’s frustrations will be so much worse because he had finally broken into the team after a year waiting on the bench – and even scored a great goal earlier in the game in which he injured his knee. He will be desperate to make up for lost time, and Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu still out injured, he has a great chance to play decent minutes in the next few weeks.

Let’s hope he picks up where he left off.