Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi has returned from a tough few months out recovering from an achilles injury sustained last season.
He had just managed to break into the Chelsea first team and was finally being shown some trust by Maurizio Sarri, and started to light it up on the pitch.
Then heartbreak hit and Hudson-Odoi had to spend the rest of the season watching on from the sidelines.
This season he cuts a happier figure, having just signed a new 5-year contract at the club and looks to be a regular starter under Frank Lampard. But it was a different story last season.
For an 18-year old chasing his dream, Hudson-Odoi has admitted to experiencing some dark feelings during these moments, and when he actually sustained the injury, he wondered whether he’d ever be able to play again.
He has been talking about the tough period to Sky Sports.
He Said:
“I wondered if I would be able to play again; that was my first thought. I knew I’d done something really serious so I was really concerned.
“But my family kept me confident that I’d be back to how I was.
“There were days when I would go into training and I would be sad or disappointed because I could see the boys outside training and you just want to be out there with them.
“So I had the dark days but at the same time I had positive days as well.
“When it came, it was more anger for me because everything was going as I wanted it to go. I was playing games, I’d got called to the national team – everything was going perfectly.
“There were big games coming up. But I knew when I came back I’d be stronger than I was before.
“I was out for three to four months and it was crazy to even get the injury in the first place. It’s something I had to deal with mentally because I’d never experienced an injury like that before.
“I’m really delighted with the way I’ve come back. I didn’t expect to get this many assists and to contribute with a goal as well. Hopefully I’ll keep improving and adding goals to my game.”
