Callum Hudson-Odoi is unsure whether he will return to Chelsea in the summer following his season-long loan at Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.
Having not featured in any of Chelsea's opening four matches of the season under Thomas Tuchel, the academy graduate was granted a temporary switch by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali. And the German top flight was viewed as the ideal league for Hudson-Odoi to play regularly and regain his attacking confidence.
Leverkusen had started the campaign poorly under Gerardo Seoane, who was sacked after just eight matches. His replacement, Spanish legend Xabi Alonso, has used Hudson-Odoi regularly in both the Bundesliga and Champions League, but niggling injuries have restricted his game time.
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Hudson-Odoi has made 20 appearances thus far for Die Werkself, the latest of which was a 45-minute outing against Mainz at the weekend. Meanwhile, back at Chelsea, a host of new signings arrived in January, including wingers Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke.
The 22-year-old has less than 18 months remaining on his contract, although it's believed Chelsea hold the option of a further year. Yet Hudson-Odoi says he has not been in regular contact with those back at Stamford Bridge amid the club's January spending spree.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "I have not spoken to them much recently at all. I am not there so seeing all these players coming, there is nothing I can say or do. At the end of the day, I am focused on the club here and trying to help as much as possible here. Whatever happens in the future, I do not know. All I can do is focus on what happens here."
Hudson-Odoi added: [I want to] finish the best that I can really and push myself to the max. I wanted to come out here and get minutes into my legs and just enjoy football really as much as possible. I think that is what has been happening. Now it is more focused on getting the numbers up with more assists and trying to create more chances for the team. I'm definitely excited about the future."
Hudson-Odoi was regarded as one of the brightest talents in his age group across Europe; he aided that perception by helping England Under-17s win the World Cup in 2017. His early outings in the Chelsea first team were impressive too but a ruptured Achilles suffered in April 2019 halted his progression.
He missed only six months of football but has struggled to return to his unbounded best. "The injury was years back but I still feel like at times there is still a thing where it niggles and gives you problems sometimes," Hudson-Odoi admitted. "It had a big impact on me – even other parts of my body.
"For example, you try to compensate for your leg so you use other parts of your body so that you do not use your Achilles as much. Then you start to get other niggles somewhere else. The injury is a thing that happened years ago but it is always going to be at the back of your mind, regardless of what you are doing.
"I try not to think about it as much as possible. I just play my football and do the best that I can. You just want to play your football."
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