Soccer-Chelsea's Cech targets mid-January return

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"I feel better, improving every day. I can start training a little bit in the gym and the swimming pool so it makes me feel a lot better," Cech said on Tuesday in an interview with Chelsea TV published by the club's website.

"It has been a great week the last week because I could start working, I could even start to play tennis... I hope this way I can make it back earlier than expected.

"It is looking like that, about the middle of January I will be able to start training in the goal."

The 24-year-old Czech international needed surgery, with two metal plates inserted into his head, on his skull following a reckless challenge from Reading's Stephen Hunt on Oct. 14.

Cech told the website: "Of course I am tired when I do the training session because my body is still a little bit tired.

"But it has improved massively because I can work twice a day and at the end of the day, I am tired but I am tired because of the work, not just because of the walking."

He added: "The brain is working very well and I haven't lost anything I had so for the moment it is looking very well.

"There is still time to go with the skull fracture because it has not healed and I have to be patient with that, but hopefully that will go quickly as well."

[LONDON/Reuters/Finance.cz]