Chelsea striker Armando Broja has paid tribute to Ben Chilwell for helping him through his knee injury recovery.

Broja broke down in December and is now back in playing contention.

He recalled to chelseafc.com: "I knew other players had been through it before like Ben Chilwell, I just thought about it and tried to battle through. I owe a massive credit to the physios and the medical staff at Chelsea.

"They continuously helped me every single day to get me back to the position I'm in now. I wouldn't have done it without them, my parents, and teammates. They were always there for me because you're going to have down days in periods like that. I had several, but they helped me so much.

"Chilly played a massive part because he was talking to me every day and letting me know that the grass was greener on the other side. He played a massive part alongside the physios, taking their time with me every single day, staying extra hours just to help me get back to where I needed to be.

"It's a massive credit to them and I'm so thankful to Chelsea and them for supporting me through the journey."

He continued: "The whole process was long, but it was a massive learning curve, It was a massive chance to engage with the group, my family, myself, learn about the game and watch every game from the outside.

"It was a big point in my life, something to deal with personally and mentally. It changed me mentally and how I think about dealing with things.

"It was a difficult period, but I'm so happy it's in the past. Now I want to push forward and keep on going. I feel better than ever and now my knee is almost back to how it was. I feel good and happy.

"I just can't wait now to hopefully get more opportunities and kick on from there. I want to help the team out as much as possible and I feel ready in myself to do just that."