Armando Broja return date revealed by Albanian FA president
- Broja suffered an ACL injury in December
- Striker underwent surgery and has not been seen since
- Chelsea face Bournemouth after the international break
By Tom Gott
The president of the Albanian Football Association has revealed that Chelsea striker Armando Broja is set to make his return to competitive action after the international break.
Broja has not been seen since suffering a nasty knee injury back in December, undergoing surgery and committing to a lengthy recovery process which is slowly approaching its conclusion.
New Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has repeatedly name-dropped Broja when asked about a move for a new striker, hinting at his excitement towards working with the 22-year-old academy graduate.
That link-up could be coming soon as Albanian FA president Armand Duka told Euronews that Broja could even made it back to Chelsea's bench when the Blues return to Premier League action against Bournemouth on Sunday.
"Broja has completed his recovery phase," Duka said. "Maybe this week he will be on the bench with Chelsea, ready to return to the field.
"He should be back in October for the [international] game against the Czech Republic. He is an added value for us, one of the best Albanian footballers. And I believe that it will help us against the Czech Republic and the other two matches."
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Broja's imminent return will offer a welcome boost for Pochettino as he seeks to address Chelsea's longstanding problem in front of goal.
With Christopher Nkunku nursing his own knee injury, Chelsea have had to rely on summer signing Nicolas Jackson, who excelled in pre-season but has found the back of the net just once in the Premier League.
"We are keeping eyes on Armando Broja because I think we cannot forget him," Pochettino said in August. "We cannot stop him by bringing a profile of player that could stop his evolution.
"We really believe in him, he can be a really important striker for Chelsea."
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