"I suffered a painful blow on the knee early in the game against Germany.
'It ached a little afterwards, but there was no sign of a continuing problem.
'After the match with Atletico, the knee swelled up terribly and the doctors couldn't explain exactly what was happening.
'There was even a theory that my body was reacting to a complete change in climate, food and every else.
'There was talk of an operation, but now, after pumping out liquid on the knee, it is more or less normal, thank God."
Zhirkov's ability to run from deep and break down a compact opposition will be sorely needed as the season presses on, so let's hope this is the beginning of the end of injury leading to the beginning of the start of a Chelsea legends career.
Chelsea fans can look forward to monitoring Zhirkov's progress with his international side but sadly won't have the chance to check up on him tonight as we face Athletico Madrid, and unlikely to feature against Manchester United at the weekend.
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