Chelsea centre-back Wesley Fofana is said to be far more optimistic about recovering from a hamstring injury before the end of the season than his manager Enzo Maresca.

The French defender was forced off an hour into Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on 1 December, but initially dismissed the issue as nothing more than “a slight muscle warning” which was “nothing serious”.

Maresca’s initial diagnosis was between three and five weeks. More than one month on, Fofana remains on the sidelines and is expected to stay there. Chelsea’s manager claimed that his centre-back “could be out for the season” on Friday.

Fofana emphatically disagrees with this lengthy timeline a report from L’Equipe has claimed. The French publication suggests that the former Leicester City defender has suffered a tendon injury and turned down surgery – which would have guaranteed at least three months on the sidelines.

By not going under the knife – which was supposedly questioned by some members of staff within the club – Fofana expects to dramatically reduce his recovery time. Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the 24-year-old is targeting a return before the end of March – months ahead of Maresca’s schedule.

The suggestion from some is that Maresca has deliberately overestimated Fofana’s absence to force Chelsea’s hand when it comes to January reinforcements. The Blues boss has already hinted at the possibility of an active winter transfer window. Alongside Fofana, Benoit Badiashile will be out until February and there are few fitness guarantees regarding Reece James.

If Fofana is to be believed, he will be back before the end of the campaign to compete with any new recruits. The defender’s optimistic stance was captured by his New Year’s Day social media post which read: “Joys, disappointments, but always this constant desire to be better than the day before. I will keep fighting. It’s in my DNA.”