Cole vows to improve

Cole: Sidelined since January

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Joe Cole is determined to return a stronger player next season following an injury-plagued campaign.

The Chelsea midfielder has been sidelined since suffering a serious knee injury in the FA Cup clash with Southend on 14th January.

He had also been restricted by a niggling ankle injury in the first part of the season and admits he had tried to come back too quickly from that complaint.

But Cole has been recovering well and he is eager to make up for lost time when he finally gets back out onto the pitch.

"The way I see it is when I get injured then I will come back stronger," he told Chelsea TV.

"I'm so focused on coming back better and stronger than before. You get knocks in life and you can talk in victory and in glory but when the chips are down and you are in adversity you need to come through that.

"I come in every day and do what the physiotherapists say I need to do to the letter. Then I'll see where it takes me."

Bullet-proof

He added: "I think why I got injured was because at the start of the season I was playing with little niggles. I had an ankle injury and came back too soon.

"The manager wanted me back, and I tend to want to play through the pain. Maybe that is a lesson learned. It's a hard lesson learned, but I will come back when I'm ready whenever that may be."

Cole insists his spirits are still high as he looks forward to what he hopes are the best years of his career.

"I'm coming into my peak years. The next five years will be the best of my career so I want to get myself bullet-proof," he explained.

"I want to tick every box and win some major trophies again.

"I won't let it get me down. Being an injured Chelsea player is probably the second best job in the world behind being a Chelsea player."