Ghana manager James Kwesi Appiah has claimed that Michael Essien's loan move to Real Madrid will see the midfielder get somewhere close to his best form.

The 29-year-old has missed a large percentage of matches for Chelsea in the past two seasons due to a couple of serious knee injuries but Appiah believes that Essien will benefit from playing under Jose Mourinho again.

"Obviously, a lot can happen in football, but we hope that Michael can stay fit and get back to the level that we all know he is capable of," Appiah told Sky Sports News. "The chance to work with Mourinho again might help because Michael played some of his best football under him at Chelsea.

"Having monitored the off-season games that Michael has featured in for Chelsea I can certainly see him getting back to his best this year, but we will have to wait and see whether that happens when he features for Real Madrid."

Essien has revealed his delight at having the opportunity to work with Mourinho again.