Chelsea set to recall Christian Atsu from his loan spell at Everton due to lack of game time

Chelsea are reportedly set to cancel Christian Atsu's loan spell with Everton and bring him back to Stamford Bridge.

According to the Mirror, The Blues are not happy with the number of games he has played for the Toffees this season, as they were hoping for him to be a regular for Roberto Martinez's side. The Ghanaian has featured just nine times for the Merseyside club including just one Premier League start since his move in the summer.

Atsu looks to have played his last game for Everton, as the player is currently back at Stamford Bridge getting treatment for a hamstring injury and is likely to miss the festive period fixtures, following which he will join his national team for the African Cup of Nations.

The Toffees boss fought of competition from a number of Premier League clubs to land the Chelsea winger, but has not given him sufficient game time to please the west London club's hierarchy.

Reports claim that Sunderland are keen to take the Ghana international on-loan and will make a move for him once the January transfer window opens, with Gus Poyet being a big admirer of the player.

Atsu, who joined Chelsea from Portuguese club Porto in 2013, is currently on his second consecutive loan-spell after spending the whole of the last season on-loan with Dutch club Vitesse.

However, the Everton manager is aware of the lack of game time for the former Porto player, but believes he will play an important role in the second half of the season. The manager revealed that the winger has taken time to adapt to the physical nature of the English game.

"It's just making sure I can give him the right introduction to his role. With the minutes he's had so far in the Europa League and other games he's done well. I expect him to be himself in the second half of the season and he can be a very important player for us," Martinez explained.