Ruben Loftus-Cheek has handed Chelsea a fitness boost after suggesting he is closing in on a return to action.
The England international has been sidelined since May after rupturing his Achilles tendon in a post-season friendly against Philadelphia Union.
The 23-year-old had been left frustrated by several injury setbacks on his road to recovery, with manager Frank Lampard revealing he was "no closer" to reaching full fitness earlier this month.
But his long wait for a return to action could finally be over after Loftus-Cheek uploaded a video - captioned 'We move' - to his Twitter account showing him training individually.
In a short drill, the towering midfielder was able to sprint, dribble with the ball closely to his feet and shoot into a small goal.
It is understood Loftus-Cheek, who scored 10 goals in 35 appearances last season, is not expected back in full training until the New Year.
But news of his progress will come as a boost to Lampard, who has been forced to rotate his midfield after injuries to N'Golo Kante and Ross Barkley.
That leaves only Marco van Ginkel in the treatment room as a long-term absentee after Antonio Rudiger marked his comeback from three months out with a groin injury against Bournemouth.
