Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has provided a major injury boost to Frank Lampard by returning to training ahead of this week's Champions League match vs Valencia.
The German international has played just 45 minutes of first-team football so far this season through injury, with head coach Lampard confirming that the defender had undergone an operation.
"He had an operation and he is going to be out probably for three weeks, hopefully," Lampard confirmed at his pre-Crystal Palace press conference at the beginning of November.
With them three weeks almost up, Rudiger should be in the final stages of his recovery, and the German international taking part in the open training session seemed to confirm that this is the case.
Following training, the player has also given an update himself on social media.
"On the hunt again #teamtraining #finally #painless #Hustle #AlwaysBelieve," the player posted on his Instagram page.
The hashtag reading 'painless' will serve as a major boost to Chelsea fans hoping to see the player back on the Stamford Bridge pitch as soon as possible.
The Champions League game against Valencia may just come a bit too soon for Rudiger to make his return, but the Premier League match against West Ham United could be a possibility.
