Michael Essien has insisted that he will fight for his place at Chelsea next season following his loan spell with Real Madrid.

The 30-year-old was shipped out to the Bernabeu last summer following his recovery from a lengthy layoff with a knee injury.

"I will return to Chelsea with my head up and try to win my place back," Sky Sports News quotes Essien as saying. "I think my loan at Madrid has shown I have still got it at the top level."

Essien played a part in Madrid's Champions League exit to Borussia Dortmund in a 4-3 aggregate defeat at the Bernabeu last night.