Nervous Chelsea hope Michael Essien emerges from Africa Cup unscathed

Chelsea will bid a nervous farewell to Michael Essien this weekend. As the midfielder heads to Angola for the Africa Cup of Nations they are hoping Ghana will not ask too much, too soon of a player who returned to training only today after a hamstring injury. Essien limped out of the final Champions League group tie against Apoel Nicosia at Stamford Bridge on 8 December and has not played since, not even for the reserves. In an ideal scenario he might like to ease himself back, with a couple of substitutes' cameos, but as Ghana's talisman he will be required to hit top form straight away. Essien will not be fit for Ghana's opening fixture against Togo on Monday and the coach, Milovan Rajevic, will surely have to leave him out, despite the clamour for him to play. Eyebrows would be raised at Stamford Bridge were Essien to feature. But thereafter he is likely to be plunged into the fray, with Ghana set to rely heavily on him in the absence of a clutch of other familiar names. Stephen Appiah, John Mensah and John Paintsil are injured and Sulley Muntari has fallen out with Rajevic and has not been selected. Ghana face the Ivory Coast next Friday, in a match that will pit Essien against his Chelsea team-mates Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou before completing their group phase campaign against Burkina Faso on Tuesday week. The knock-out rounds start with quarter-finals and the final is scheduled for 31 January. Ghana arrived in Angola today, after training together in South Africa since 28 December. Essien will join up over the weekend, Chelsea having been keen for him to work first with their medical department. "We received a letter from Chelsea and Essien has finished his treatment," said Rajevic. "They suggested he should stay for another two days with the club physio and do two days' training with the first-team." Chelsea would not have given the green light for Essien to travel if they did not feel he had completed his rehabilitation but they will follow his progress closely.