Thiago Silva has returned to first-team training at Cobham just two days before Chelsea face Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Silva has been sidelined ever since suffering a knee injury in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham at the end of February. The 38-year-old was taken off after just 19 minutes in the defeat in north London and has missed the last seven matches as a result.
However, the Brazil international is now close to returning to action after being pictured in training with his Chelsea teammates at Cobham on Monday. The Blues will fly to Madrid on Tuesday afternoon after taking part in an open training session in the morning, where interim boss Frank Lampard will be hoping Silva can continue his recovery.
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Silva has been such a key figure for Chelsea once again this season with the veteran defender already featuring 27 times in all competitions this term. Lampard was the man who brought Silva to Stamford Bridge in 2020 on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.
The Brazilian revealed that Lampard being the head coach at Stamford Bridge was actually a big deciding factor in choosing Chelsea over other interested parties. He said: "As soon as I said yes, he sent me a picture of us both shaking hands as national team captains in 2013. It was a nice surprise.
"He understood exactly what I needed at this stage of my career, probably because he had made a similar move when he was also 36, from Chelsea to Manchester City. I didn't think twice when I heard Chelsea were interested in me – not only because of their history but also because Willian and David Luiz invariably spoke highly of them.
"Marina [Granovskaia, former club director] called me after I'd agreed, then passed me on to Frank. It was through a translator because I still don't speak English and his accent was even tougher for me!"
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