Kurt Zouma is itching to see regular competitive football at Chelsea again, but acknowledges that he must be patient as he waits to break back into an in-form side.
The Frenchman has been eased into the fold over recent weeks after recovering from a serious knee injury.
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After 11 months away from the first-team scene, and one outing for the Blues’s under-23 side, the 22-year-old defender made his comeback in a FA Cup clash with Peterborough on January 8.
He also figured in that competition against Brentford, while a Premier League return was made in a 3-1 victory over Arsenal on Saturday.
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Zouma hopes there will be many more appearances to come, but is aware that Antonio Conte has little need to tinker with a team that currently sits nine points clear in the top-flight title race.
“Watching the team doing well makes me happy, even if that means I am not playing,” he told the Evening Standard .
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“The team is doing well and we have got some good momentum.
“Of course, I want to play but I want them to keep going.
“You just have to wait for your time and be ready when it comes. My chance will come again, for sure. I do not worry about that.
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“JT is the captain, a legend of the club, and even he is on the bench. But we are a team. Is it difficult? Yes, because I want to play. But no, because we are doing so well at the moment.”
Since picking up an injury against Manchester United in February 2016, Zouma has seen Chelsea change their manager and formation.
Conte has overseen a switch to a 3-4-3 system, with David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta currently filling the defensive berths that Zouma will have his eye on.
