Yuri Zhirkov staying positive

Yuri Zhirkov is remaining upbeat in the face of the persistent injury problems that have prevented him from making a lasting impact at Chelsea since his summer move from CSKA Moscow.

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Yuri Zhirkov has so far only played in the Carling Cup for Chelsea

Zhirkov moved to Stamford Bridge for a fee of £18 million but after aggravating a knee injury during a pre-season friendly against AC Milan, he is yet to make his Premier League debut and has only started one game - a Carling Cup victory over QPR in September.

It was therefore something of a surprise that Zhirkov was included in Guus Hiddink's Russia squad to face Slovenia in Saturday's World Cup play-off, and if Chelsea were hoping that the versatile star would imminently fill in for the injured Ashley Cole then they may be disappointed to hear that Zhirkov is again feeling pain.

"Actually the condition of my knees is well enough," Zhirkov told Sport Express. "Before going to the national team I spent two comprehensive training sessions with Chelsea without any difficulty. But after yesterday's training in Luzhniki [Stadium] my knees started nagging again. Maybe it is the reaction to the artificial turf - but the reason for this pain is unclear yet.

"On Tuesday I underwent all necessary routines and now we will see how my knees will feel. The thing is that both my knees hurt. Though the left one has caused me no problems for a long time."

News of a possible setback will concern Chelsea as they have struggled to get to the bottom of Zhirkov's fitness problems. However, the man who can perform at left back or as a winger is adopting an optimistic outlook as he continues to await his Premier League debut.

"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 told Sport Express. "And no one can tell me what the medical predictions of my rehabilitation are.

"The British physicians even consulted with German specialists regarding me. They sent them my x-rays together with the detailed description of the problem but as far as I understand they failed to diagnose the case.

"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.

"In Chelsea the team is very good, all of them understand my situation. My case is not the first one, many newcomers of Chelsea were sidelined in the first months in the club."