Branislav Ivanovic is pleased he toughed it out at Chelsea.

When Ivanovic signed for Chelsea from Lokomotiv Moscow he endured a difficult start to his Stamford Bridge career.

"Signing for Chelsea was a big step in my career at the time," he told chelseafc.com. "But my fitness wasn't so good and I picked up a hamstring injury.

"Within the club I was okay, I adapted quickly because everybody wanted to help me so I felt happy and confident. My problem was the fact I wasn't playing, so that made it difficult. It was a tough time for me, but I passed through it and it made me stronger."