he's bak

Tiemoue Bakayoko if fit to face Stoke after his car crash, says Chelsea manager Antonio Conte

Midfielder careered off the road as he left Chelsea's Cobham training ground but was able to walk away with only minor bruises. Bakayoko joined the Premier League champions from Monaco in the summer

Duncan Wright

Published: 15:08, 22 Sep 2017
Updated: 20:24, 22 Sep 2017

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ANTONIO CONTE says Tiemoue Bakayoko is fit to face Stoke despite suffering minor injuries in a car crash.

Bakayoko suffered bruising when his Mercedes 4x4 careered off the road on a bridge close to the Chelsea training ground in leafy Surrey.

Tiemoue Bakayoko chats to EdenHazard a day after his car accidentCredit: Getty - Contributor

Tiemoue Bakayoko trains on the pitch at Stamford BridgeCredit: Getty - Contributor

Tiemoue Bakayoko is fit to face Stoke after a car crash on ThursdayCredit: Reuters

Tiemoue Bakayoko lost control of his car close to the Chelsea training groundCredit: Adrian Brooks / Imagewise. Photo credit must read: Adrian Brooks/Imagewise

The £40million midfielder was left shaken but otherwise largely unhurt following the accident on Blundel Lane on Thursday afternoon.

But Chelsea boss Conte insists he has spoken with the player and he is available to take on Stoke at the Bet365 Stadium tomorrow.

Conte said: "Bakayoko is fit. It was a manual accident but he’s fit and available for the Stoke game.

"All players are available for tomorrow apart from Drinkwater. He continues to work to try to recover from his injury."

The Italian was speaking for the first time since Chelsea agreed a £67million deal to sell Diego Costa to Atletico Madrid.

Conte and Costa have been at loggerheads ever since he told the controversial striker he was not wanted anymore in a text message at the beginning of the summer.

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Antonio Conte says Tiemoue Bakayoko is part of his squad to face StokeCredit: Rex Features

But the Chelsea boss did at least pay tribute to the impact he made as a player - before swiftly cutting off any further questions about the Spanish star.

Costa said: "We want to thank him for the work he did with this club, and we wish him all the best for the future.

Antonio Conte paid tribute to the impact Diego Costa made at ChelseaCredit: Rex Features

"I think now it is not important, I'm not interested to continue talking about this issue. I work with my players, I'm very happy to work with these players.

"I don't forget that we won a title together, last season, for sure we want to thank him for his effort last season with us, but not only last season but the period he played for Chelsea.

Diego Costa was snapped as he landed in Madrid to make his move to Atletico this afternoonCredit: Instagram @atleticodemadrid

"I repeat that now, I'm not interested to talk about the past. I think the past is not important, for every coach and player the past stays there.

"If you did well in the past, it's OK, but we have to work for the present and the future to build something important for this club."

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