Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho confirms Cesc Fabregas is ready to return against Everton

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed key midfielder Cesc Fabregas is finally ready to return to action for the next Premier League game against Everton on Wednesday night 11 February.

The Spaniard missed the last draw against Manchester City and Saturday's victory over Aston Villa after suffering a hamstring injury in the second leg of the Capital Cup semi-finals against Liverpool on 27 January.

Even though on Friday the Portuguese boss suggested that the midfielder was already available for selection to visit Villa, he surprisingly decided to leave him out of the squad, deploying Ramires in the middle of the park alongside Nemanja Matic.

However, the boss has now played down any concerns regarding a new setback in Fabregas's recovery, claiming the Catalan midfielder is fully fit for the visit of Roberto Martinez's side to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

"I think Fabregas plays on Wednesday because against Villa the decision was to protect him," Mourinho explained, according to Standard Sport.

"I didn't want to risk two players at the same time because Willian had a minor problem from the previous game and was also a risk. So to start two players with a risk was a big gamble. So we gambled with one."

Nevertheless and even though Fabregas has been crucial during the impressive first half of the campaign since his arrival from Barcelona, the boss claimed Ramires has coped with his absence with some great performances.

"We didn't miss Cesc against Aston Villa because Ramires is back and the best of Ramires is back too. He was great against Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa. He has a different profile of play to Cesc, but he gives a lot."