Injury caused by move-Zhirkov

Yuri Zhirkov moved from CSKA Moscow to Chelsea this summer for nearly €20m but due to injuries he only made two appearances for the Blues so far. The Russian international claims that his injuries are caused by his transfer. “The different conditions have played a huge part.”

“The English doctors see my problems as a reaction of the body to drastic changes – in the climate, lifestyle, training work and in everything else,” Zhirkov said in the London Evening Standard. “And no one can tell me what the medical predictions of my rehabilitation are. The British physicians even consulted with German specialists regarding me.

“I try to remain optimistic – many players have had such difficulties. I am not the first, not the last. It is a pity that the problems coincided with my move to a new club.

“But if I keep being distressed the situation will not change. I must work and believe that everything is going to straighten out soon.”

With fellow left-back Ashley Cole currently sidelined with a stress fracture of the leg, Zhirkov could make his first Premier League appearance against Wolves on Saturday.