Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez says he is closing in on a return to match action.

The Spanish international has been sidelined with a knee injury for over a month but taking to Instagram, the shot-stopper said he was “nearly there”, suggesting he is set to make his comeback soon.

Whether Sanchez will be on the bench when the Blues take on Middlesbrough in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday night, we shall have to wait and see.

The 26-year-old was last seen in action during the 2-0 defeat to Everton near the start of December. It is believed that he actually picked up his knee problem in the previous match against Manchester United before deciding he couldn’t continue playing in the subsequent fixture at Goodison Park.

Sanchez has had an indifferent start to his time at Chelsea

The keeper has had an unconvincing first season at Stamford Bridge, having made the £25m switch from Brighton at the beginning of August.

Sanchez started the campaign as the club’s number one, following Kepa’s departure on loan to Real Madrid, but his performances have been rather inconsistent, having conceded 26 goals and kept only 5 clean sheets in 19 appearances.

Will he get his place back in Chelsea’s first-team?

Sanchez’s injury has given his understudy Djordje Petrovic the chance to shine in his absence. The Serbian international was also signed in the summer but manager Mauricio Pochettino clearly wasn’t a fan of his initially.

Petrovic didn’t even play in the early rounds of the Carabao Cup, which is usually when the backup keeper is selected. However, Pochettino was forced into using the 24-year-old when Sanchez was sidelined.

Over the last month, Petrovic has put in a string of good displays and there are now plenty of supporters who believe that the Serbian should be above Sanchez in the pecking order.