Alou Diarra nears West Ham United return

West Ham United midfielder Alou Diarra has admitted that he is surprised to have made a full recovery from a serious knee injury in less than three months.

It was expected that Diarra would miss the remainder of the season after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury against Cheltenham Town in August, but after returning to action with the reserves on Tuesday, the France international has revealed that he is ready for a return to the senior squad against Chelsea next weekend.

The 32-year-old told the club's official website: "I am happy to now be doing my job, playing football, and my recovery has been amazingly quick.

"I am surprised, like everybody, but we've taken our time and worked hard together and my knee is steady and I can play.

"I played 90 minutes in the game on Tuesday against Gillingham and I think this was my last test. Now, I think that I am available for the first team and hopefully I will train hard to have a chance to play with West Ham."

Diarra moved to Upton Park in 2012, but after failing to establish himself with the Hammers he was loaned out to Rennes for the remainder of the 2012-13 campaign.