Todd Kane seeing the light at the end of the ACL tunnel; ready to challenge for Chelsea spot

I thought about not starting yet another Todd Kane post by proclaiming my undying hope to see him make it at Chelsea, but when he’s dropping bombs like these in his big interview with the Daily Mail, what choice do I have?

“I have been at Chelsea since I was seven. I have not want to just sit there. I got my name out there, improved as a player, and have come back to Chelsea feeling that I am ready. I don’t want to go on loan any more.”

[...]

“I am not just there because I want to make up the numbers up. I am there because I want to, in the future, have a proper chance to take over what [Terry] has done for the club. The way I am as a person I know I can do that. But I need the opportunity.”

“I love the club. It is everything to me. I know my job cannot get any better. I go in every day with a smile on my face.”

That’s Todd “I wish I could sign a 10-year contract with Chelsea (and obviously play a lot as well)” Kane for you, True Blue through and through, halfway through his second decade at the club at just 23.

As we know, he looked ready to challenge for a possible first-team spot this summer before a most untimely ACL tear took him out of commission in April. He’s recently returned to the training pitch in a limited capacity, but the road to recovery is long yet.

“I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve made good progress. It is five months now since my operation. I am trying to get stronger in my legs. The club have been great.”

“Kurt Zouma had the same injury, and at the start of the summer I was working with him and talking. I’ll be doing a bit of non-contact training in six to eight weeks, starting to get a feel of the ball. I will train with the younger age groups to get used to moving, then work my way up and get match fitness.”

“It has been the hardest thing I have had to deal with in my career. I have never had a serious injury. It has made me grow as a person, made my mind much stronger. I just have to be patient and not rush it.”

The injury basically robbed Kane of a whole season, which perhaps explains why Chelsea recently tacked on an additional year to his contract that was due to expire in 2018.

But this is Toddy Kane we’re talking about, so a setback really is just an opportunity to prove himself ready. It’s why he chose to go to NEC instead of Vitesse, why he chose to live in the middle of the country instead of the middle of the city, and it’s why he believes he can make an impact at Conte’s Chelsea.

“From looking at [Conte’s] previous jobs he wants to play 3-5-2 formation. What he did using it with Italy was incredible. But right now he is playing the formation that suits the players best.”

“Once I am match fit touch wood he likes me and wants to get me involved. That formation would suit me down to the ground. I have a good engine to get up and down and my game would come on leaps and bounds.”

-Todd Kane; source: Daily Mail

There’s more from Kane over at the Mail, and you should read it.