John Mikel Obi has expressed his sadness at fellow midfielder Michael Essien's injury and says he hopes to have him back very soon.

Essien has undergone surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury and is expected to be out for at least six month, a situation that Mikel describes as unfortunate.

“Unfortunately Michael Essien has been injured, and we all feel sorry for him and wish him well and hopefully he can come back very soon,” Mikel said.

The Nigerian was among the Chelsea squad who played for the first time under new coach Andres Villas Boas, clocking 45 minutes in 3-0 win, and he told the club's website the training sessions have been progressing well.

“Training sessions have been going well; everyone is in a good mood. We're obviously all just back from our holidays but people are feeling fit and seem happy with the training and the systems we have here so now we have to transfer it into a game.

“The new manager has worked really hard on our sharpness and it is going very well. There has been lots of ball work and not so much running, which is really good. You get used to the ball again quickly and you feel fitter quickly.

“The double sessions are hard but working with the ball makes it so much easier than running all the time, and it is enjoyable as well.”