Ghana and Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien considers his club pre-season trip to the United States as a good opportunity to regain his top form. The 29-year-old was unavailable for the first half of last season after rupturing his cruciate ligament last July. Matters went from bad to worse for the Ghanaian international as he failed to reclaim his place in the Blues starting line-up after returning to action last January. “It is hard during the season if you miss pre-season,” Essien was quoted as saying by Chelsea’s official website. “And so it is good to start and hopefully finish the whole pre-season. So I am looking forward to that and we will see what happens. “So far so good and I am looking forward to the season", he added, insisting that he is now fully fit and determined to return as a key element for his club under coach Roberto Di Matteo. Essien, who has three years left to run on his contract, joined Chelsea in 2005 from Lyon for £24 million.