Obviously we’re all excited at the news that Michael Essien returned to play for our reserves on Monday – which is hardly surprising after a six month spell out.

Essien wasn’t the only player to have made a welcome return after injury in the 4-3 defeat to Villa though as Ricardo Carvalho also spent an hour on the field before being substituted. The Portuguese defender has missed the majority of our season as well to be honest, this time kept out for a period of five weeks with a hamstring injury.

However, with him now getting a chance to prepare in terms of fitness against Villa’s reserves, there’s a fair chance of him playing a part against Coventry at the weekend. Fingers crossed he lasts a bit longer than his previous returns from injury and we might just see him for the game against Juve next week as well!

Filed under: Current Players, News