Alvaro Morata has given Chelsea hope of a quicker than expected return with latest post

Alvaro Morata has offered Chelsea optimism with regards to his injury after initial reports suggested that the striker will be sidelined for at least six weeks with a grade two hamstring strain.

The Blues forward suffered the injury 35 minutes into Chelsea's 1-0 loss to Manchester City prior to the ongoing international break. Antonio Conte suggested that his withdrawal was just precautionary, which saw Morata join up with the Spain squad for their final two World Cup qualifiers.

However, further tests on his injury while on international duty showed that he had suffered a grade two hamstring strain that was expected to keep him out for at least six weeks. Morata was unwilling to give up and suggested via a post on his official Facebook page that he was targeting a return to action for Chelsea's game against Crystal Palace on Saturday (14 October).

The Spain international has given further proof that his injury is not as bad as first feared as he posted a video of him cycling back at Chelsea's Cobham training complex on Instagram stories. Morata's earlier-than-expected return will be a massive boost to Conte, as Michy Batshuayi was his only option if the Spaniard was out for the long-term.

The Belgian has scored five goals across all competitions this season, but is not favoured by the Italian coach. Batshuayi was ignored in favour of Willian when Morata suffered his injury during the game against City, making it clear that the manager does not fully trust in his abilities.

The former Real Madrid striker has hit the ground running since his move to England this summer and has scored six goals in seven Premier League games thus far. Morata has also been nominated for the Premier League player of the month for September alongside his rivals for the Golden Boot Romelu Lukaku, Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero among others.