Chelsea handed injury boost as £18m star returns to training ahead of Arsenal clash

Chelsea visit Arsenal in a potentially crucial Premier League clash (Picture: Getty)

Chelsea have been handed a timely injury boost ahead of the crucial Premier League clash against leaders Arsenal on Sunday.

Liam Rosenior ’s side dropped two costly points at the weekend as an injury-time strike from Zian Flemming saw them held to a 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Burnley .

And with Liverpool and Manchester United both winning around them, the pressure is mounting on the Blues in the race to secure Champions League football for next season.

The fixtures don’t get any easier for Chelsea, who face a tough visit to the Emirates to take on Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal on Sunday before league matches against Aston Villa and Newcastle.

But Rosenior can at least be encouraged by the return of Dario Essugo, who was pictured back in first-team training on Tuesday.

The Portuguese midfielder has endured a tough start to life at Stamford Bridge since signing over the summer from Sporting Lisbon for £18million.

In fact, the 20-year-old has not made a single first-team appearance since the Club World Cup last summer due to injuries.

Dario Essugo has been injured for most of the season (Picture: Getty)

Surgery on a thigh injury in September saw him return in December before a fresh setback saw him ruled out into the New Year.

Essugo was eventually passed fit for a spot on the bench during Rosenior’s first two matches in charge before a fresh injury ruled him out for the past ten matches.

Estevao was not spotted in training (Picture: Getty)

While he was spotted in training, there was no sign of Estevao, who missed th 1-1 draw with Burnley due to a hamstring injury.

Marc Cucurella is also a notable absentee at present after he was forced off during the 2-2 draw with Leeds United, also due to a hamstring injury.

Speaking last week about the Spanish defender, Rosenior said: ‘I can’t give an exact timeframe on Marc. ‘He suffered a hamstring injury just before half-time in the Leeds game.

‘It’s a shame not to have Marc available but we have Jorrel (Hato) and we have Malo (Gusto) who can play on that side, so we have really good players that can cover.’

The Gunners, meanwhile, have a relatively clean bill of health, with Mikel Merino, Max Dowman and Kai Havertz the only absentees due to longer-term injuries.

Arteta’s side got back to winning ways with an emphatic derby-day win over Tottenham, and they will now look to build on that momentum against Chelsea to ease the pressure from the chasing pack behind them.