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Chelsea star Michael Essien is making good progress in his recovery from knee surgery and could be back in action by the end of the year. The midfielder ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament at the start of pre-season training and it was initially feared that he could be sidelined for most of the 2011/12 campaign. However, his rehabilitation at Cobham has been going smoothly and it now looks as though he could return to give the Blues a boost before the turn of the year. "Essien is making good progress and we're thinking end of December."