Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has rejected the treatment of Serbian therapist Mariana Kovacevic.

The Independent Lampard visited her in Serbia on Friday, the latest in a line of Premier League players to seek the woman who uses fluid derived from horse placenta to massage the afflicted areas. However, after an hour with Kovacevic he decided her approach was not for him and decided to return to England immediately.

The 31-year-old is expected to make an earlier-than-expected return from injury against Arsenal tomorrow having torn a muscle in his thigh training with England on 12 November. However, it is understood that his recovery from an injury, initially thought to have ruled him out for six weeks, has had nothing to do with Kovacevic's unorthodox approach to healing.

He was accompanied to Belgrade by the club doctor Bryan English who has a reputation as one of the best in the business.