Chelsea captain Reece James said "the comeback is on" as he teased his return from a latest injury absence.
James has sent his strongest message yet that he could be ready to play again soon after undergoing surgery in Finland back in December in a bid to finally rid him of his constant hamstring issues.
Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino has so far been unable to reintroduce the 24-year-old right-back into training sessions despite initially expecting him back in three or four months.
Surgeon Dr. Lasse Lempainen, who operated on James, said in an interview with The Telegraph at the time that the player would be back by April and ready to go to Euro 2024 with England.
However, Pochettino continues to say that he doesn’t know exactly when James will recover, although he “hopes” he will play again for Chelsea this season.
In a cryptic but positive post on Instagram, James said: "I've been gone a while, but I'm doing well, really well. The journey has been long and tough, but nothing I couldn't handle.
"I'm in a good place. The comeback is on. [I'm] more hungry than ever; stay well in the meantime and see you soon."
James is unlikely to return in time to face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Saturday as Pochettino copes with an 11-man injury list.
Axel Disasi and Raheem Sterling are both expected to return, and Levi Colwill and Enzo Fernandez are also pushing to help boost the Blues against Pep Guardiola's Premier League title favourites.
