Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti insists Yury Zhirkov is a major part of his plans.
The wing-back has been linked with a return to Russia.
"Last year Yury had a problem at the beginning of the season and also this year he had a problem at the beginning of the season but he had a very good season last year," Ancelotti told chelseafc.com.
"When he didn't have an injury he played important games. He played when Ashley Cole had an injury and played against Manchester United away.
"For me Yury is a very important player. He didn't start a lot of games but he can play a lot of positions on the pitch. He played very well as a left-back and as a midfielder, and in the last game had a fantastic second half as a striker.
"I never thought he could leave Chelsea."
