Chelsea star Wesley Fofana is back training on grass despite Blues coach Enzo Maresca ruling out the defender with a “season-ending injury” in December.

Wesley Fofana is back on the pitch at Chelsea's training ground doing individual work, with the £75m defender expected to be able to return before the end of the season.

Enzo Maresca sparked concern earlier this month when the Blues boss raised the possibility of Fofana missing the rest of the campaign. His serious hamstring injury has kept the 24-year-old sidelined since the 3-0 win over Aston Villa on December 1.

With Benoit Badiashile also injured, Chelsea assessed their options and last week recalled Trevoh Chalobah from his season-long loan with Crystal Palace to help their depleted defence.

While Chelsea will be careful not to rush Fofana's rehabilitation, given his unfortunate injury history, the Frenchman is progressing well, on the track and now undertaking running exercises at Cobham.

If all goes to plan, he should return in time to help Chelsea in their clash. This would be a huge boost for the Champions League chasers as Maresca has openly stated that he is “in love” with Fofana, whose skills are considered perfect for the Blues tactician.

Fofana's time at Chelsea since arriving from Leicester has been limited by injuries. He made just 15 Premier League appearances in 2022-23 and missed the entire 2023-24 season.

Wesley Fofana suffered a serious hamstring injury during Chelsea's clash against Aston Villa

Enzo Maresca had previously expressed concern that the defender would be sidelined until the end of the season.

Maresca quickly landed on Levi Colwill and Fofana as his first-choice centre-backs, and they had a blossoming partnership before the latter's hamstring injury ruined it.

Chalobah showed his professionalism on Monday when he made his first start since returning from Palace. The Cobham graduate was named man of the match in the 3-1 win over Wolves as Chelsea ended their winless run in the Premier League.