Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has said he is almost pain-free and looking forward to returning to action.

Ballack has not played since April because of an ankle problem which has so far required two operations. Chelsea have been working closely with Germany's medical team.

Ballack said yesterday: "It looks good for my comeback. I expect that I will be fit again and be playing this year.

"The problem was that I was told the injury would take three or four weeks so I kept working towards my comeback every week and waited for the pain to ease. That took a while."

The 31-year-old dismissed any talk of a move away from Stamford Bridge, saying: "Why should I leave? I never said I was unhappy at Chelsea. It's nobody's fault that I am injured. The break will be over and things will continue."