Chelsea forward Charly Musonda has sent a clear message to manager Frank Lampard over his future at the club.
The 22-year-old has become something of a forgotten man at Stamford Bridge, with injuries majorly hindering his progress in recent times as he’s gone out on loan to a number of different clubs.
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Musonda looked close to a first-team breakthrough during Antonio Conte’s time at the club, scoring his first senior goal for the Blues in the 2017/18 season.
However, he has since been loaned out to Celtic and Vitesse without making much of an impression, as he admits he’s had a difficult time with injuries.
That has not deterred him, though, from making it at Chelsea, as he made it clear in an interview with the Independent that he wanted one more chance to show he can make it with the west London club.
“The last year has been the toughest of my life,” he told the Independent.
“I’ve suffered a lot this year. Sometimes, it can get very lonely. Every morning I woke up with the same thought: to play. It’s only when it’s taken away that you understand how much you love football. I didn’t realise how much I could miss it.
“I know people will doubt me because, after a year-and-a-half, they don’t know if I’m still the same player. But deep down, I know how good I can be. I want to show the world what I can do and, if I prove I’m still the same Charly Musonda, I’m 100% confident I can break back into the Chelsea team.
“Maybe it’s me being a bit naive or overconfident or just believing I can do it, but that has been my dream since I was 15 years old and that’s never changed. I want to wear the Chelsea shirt one more time.”
Chelsea fans will be pleased to see how determined he is, though it remains to be seen how realistic it is for the Belgian to get in ahead of so many big names in Lampard’s squad any time soon.