Antonio Rudiger picked up a knee injury at Old Trafford back in April and the defender has been recovering ever since.
The centre-back did not feature for Chelsea in the pre-season training matches but he has been making some fine progress during the past few weeks and recently he was involved in a development game for the club.
Antonio Rudiger played the full 90 minutes of the match and just 48 hours later he was involved in a first-team training session which led many to believe that he could get some game time when Lampard takes his side to Carrow Road.
But speaking to the club, the defender has made it clear that he does not want to rush back into action thereby squashing rumours about his availability for the Norwich match.
‘I’ve been back for almost two weeks with the team and I’m feeling better each day but of course, there is still game fitness missing, which is what I need to get better,’ the 26-year-old told the official Chelsea website.
‘I know I need to be patient. There’s no need to rush anything at the moment because we have a long season to go. You have to go day by day and that is what I’m doing.
‘I have to test myself before I play in the Premier League,
‘It was good to be back on the pitch because in the game there is no holding back and that is what I need to get better and get fit. I was very pleased and thankful to the development team for having me there.
‘I hadn’t played any game for three months so I had full motivation and also a desire to play with respect for the young guys.
‘As a senior player, you have to lead by example and with your actions, not just by talking.
‘Since I’ve been here, it was the first time that we trained at Stamford Bridge with the fans and it was nice for everyone,
‘It’s different for us because in England you’re used to training all the time in private so it was good and a lovely day for it as well.’
