Chelsea have been warned to be “careful” about Levi Colwill’s recovery from an ACL injury, following news that the defender is back out on the grass.

At the end of last month, head coach Liam Rosenior raised the prospect of the 22-year-old playing before the end of the season, but The Telegraph reporter Matt Law says the defender is still a “long way” from making his comeback:

“There’s been a bit of word that you know, they hope he will play again this season. But you know, they’ve got to be careful. I’d be surprised. I’ve written him off for the season.”

“And quite a lot of the time, when you see these players come back for training and suddenly see them in pictures, you can get quite excited, but they’re a long way off. Actually, proper training, and a long way down the line. So it makes no sense to start putting any pressure on Levi Colwill.”

Colwill is still months away from playing

Rosenior confirmed at the end of January that the centre-back is doing “running exercises” outside, but there is a lot do before he is cleared to take part in full training.

ACL injuries can take between 9 and 12 months to recover from, and as Colwill only had his operation in August, it means the most optimistic return date would be mid-May.

Latest Chelsea injury news

You can read a full breakdown of the club’s injury list here. In summary, though, it looks like Marc Cucurella could be out for another three weeks with a hamstring problem.

Romeo Lavia is closing in on a return to fitness, but Filip Jorgensen, Jamie Gittens and Dario Essugo are not expected to be back in action when the Blues take on Burnley at home this weekend.

Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here