He had hoped to establish himself in Chelsea's starting line-up following the departure of Jose Mourinho. Since Avram Grant has taken over, Shevchenko remains to be left on the sidelines and continues to lose patience in west London.

"I'm not happy but what can I do?" Shevchenko told a Croatian newspaper. "I'm quiet and work hard in training every day."

While Shevchenko struggles to score in the Premier League - he has only scored five goals since his arrival in 2006 - he holds an impressive goals-per-game ratio on the international stage.

"The biggest joy for me is playing for Ukraine," the 31-year-old said.

"Every time I'm with the national team, I recharge my batteries which run low in London because of the things that are happening to me.

"I'm very happy when I'm at home and I just can't wait for the next games."