Drogba Denies Club Vs Country Rift

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Striker Didier Drogba has dismissed speculation that Chelsea wanted him to delay his knee operation. The Ivory Coast forward underwent surgery on Saturday in a bid to cure an ongoing problem and he is not expected to return to action for Chelsea until the middle of February, after the African Cup of Nations. Drogba has previously admitted he was keen to solve the injury problem in order to allow him to play in the international tournament in January. However, there was speculation that Chelsea wanted to delay surgery so that Drogba would miss Ivory Coast duty and be fit for more Premier League action. DangerDrogba, though, insists Chelsea manager Avram Grant fully supported the decision to go under the knife. "That is not true at all," said Drogba when asked if Chelsea had asked for the operation to be delayed. "The club did not want to put me in danger. If I had the chance to carry on, I would have done." And Drogba insists that the Ivory Coast will always come first in any club versus country debate. Recovery"Since I started wearing my country's shirt, everyone knows there is no question of preventing me from contesting this tournament," Drogba added. "Do you realise what it means to an African and to me in particular? No manager will be able to stop me from playing." However, Drogba does admit that he will miss the Premier League's hectic Christmas and New Year fixture schedule, which includes Chelsea's clash with Arsenal as part of Sky Sports' Grand Slam Sunday. "I love the end of the year in England. It's something exceptional. I'll be Chelsea's biggest fan while I'm recovering from the op," Drogba concluded.

Source: Sky Sports