Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic is back doing ball work after his long injury lay-off, though is confined to his back garden with the west London club still in lockdown.
Players and staff at the club are in the middle of two weeks of self-isolation after winger Callum Hudson-Odoi became the first Premier League player to test positive for coronavirus.
All professional football in England has been suspended until April 3 at the earliest due to the pandemic, though the hiatus may have come at the perfect time for Pulisic.
The American last played on New Year’s Day against Brighton and has missed the last eight Premier League matches with a problematic adductor injury.
Manager Frank Lampard had been growing concerned by Pulisic’s lay-off, revealing last month that he had experienced a setback.
‘We tried to get him out there last week, step it up a little bit, but we had to pull out of that,’ said Lampard in February, who had hoped Chelsea’s mini winter break would provide a chance to recover.
The suspension of the Premier League has given Pulisic extra time to overcome his injury problems and he posted a short clip on Instagram on Tuesday afternoon in which he did some keepie-uppies in his garden, suggesting he’s stepping up his recovery despite not being able to attend Cobham’s training ground.
He accompanied the clip with a message to supporters, saying: ‘Stay home and stay safe my people! At least I have my ball.’
Lampard will be pleased to see Pulisic staying at home, with Mason Mount having to apologise to his manager after leaving self-isolation to have a kickabout with West Ham’s Declan Rice.
Hudson-Odoi, meanwhile, is recovering well after his positive coronavirus test, uploading a clip to social media as he worked out on an exercise back, though still faces over a week more in self-isolation.
MORE: Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi posts training video after remarkable recovery from coronavirus
MORE: Mason Mount apologises to Frank Lampard after breaking Chelsea self-isolation orders
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