The screams pierced the Abu Dhabi air. The contact had been innocuous, but the concern was immediate. As Armando Broja writhed around in agony, it was hard not to fear the worst. Three days later, following a scan back in England, those fears were realised. The Albanian had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and would miss the remainder of the season, his first as a member of the Chelsea squad.

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That was in mid-December. It is now nearly May. The sun is shining at Cobham, and Broja is in fine spirits at the end of another busy day. By the time we sit down to talk in the late afternoon, he has already spent several hours in the gym, a couple out on the grass, a couple more in the pool. As Broja explains, his journey from those nightmarish screams to this point has required as much patience and perseverance as sheer hard work.

Still, four-and-a-half months later, the striker finds himself thinking back to that night in the Middle East. A memory as raw as that cannot simply be swept under the carpet.

‘I still haven’t got my head fully around it,’ Broja admits, pensively.

‘It does play on your mind. It was a big shock because I have always been quite a healthy lad, and have had just had a few minor injuries here and there. It was an even bigger shock to my mum and dad, because they have so rarely seen me injured.

‘After surgery, I was bedridden for about two weeks. It was one of the worst times of my life. It was horrible. I couldn’t get out of bed. My mum was running round the house to get me tablets and give me my food. It was a struggle. You almost feel useless. You want to be able to do stuff, but you just can’t.

‘I couldn’t sleep. I was in pain. The day and what happened played on my mind constantly. I was thinking about ways I could have avoided it, even though I knew that wasn’t a good thing to do.

‘I had to take a step back from that. It was something I had to move past, start just focusing on getting back fit. As they say, the comeback is going to be better than the setback.’

Amid those darkest of days were beacons of light. Broja was allowed out of hospital in time for Christmas. He knows how lucky he was to have his family around him. He got regular visits from Chelsea coaching staff, explaining the rehabilitation process that lay ahead, trying to keep his spirits high. And one team-mate was immediately in touch.

‘Ben Chilwell has helped me out massively,’ Broja beams.

‘He has spoken to me from the moment it happened until now. Only today we had a conversation about it.

‘He’s been through it. He knows exactly how it feels, the pressure, the mental side of things. He’s been helping me every step. He doesn’t have to, but he goes out of his way to talk to me, and help me, so a big thanks to him.

‘I watch him now and he’s flying, he’s in good shape, playing well. He’s told me I’m going to come back stronger. It’s good to hear from someone who has been through it.’

Of course, Broja reserves his deepest gratitude for the physios at Cobham, those who accompany him on this recovery process every minute of every day. A jovial character, Broja says the physios are always making him laugh, and what they task him with doing never gets boring because they mix it up all the time.

Once he was able to leave his bed, the Albanian international could start applying a bit of pressure on his legs. He was on crutches for five weeks before taking his first steps on his own two feet since the 11th minute of our mid-season friendly against Aston Villa.

‘I got a feeling of excitement,’ Broja recalls. ‘I started smiling. It was a good day.

‘It felt like forever since I last walked on my own. It was reassurance things were going in the right direction. Progress was there. It was a bit scary, but I had to push through the fear factor.

‘Then, three weeks ago, I got back out on the pitch. That was one of the best days. It makes you happy every time you hit a milestone in your recovery. It gives you an extra boost.

‘There are some days when you come in and you feel like it’s not getting any better, or any worse. It’s just the same. I’ve been miserable, a bit moody. But now I can see the journey from where I was, to where I am.

‘I’m kicking a ball, moving, changing direction. You have to find the balance between how much load you put on the knee, and how much you take off it. So it’ll be a while until I can start doing sprints, jumping, that kind of stuff, but I’m really happy with how it’s going.’

Broja has embarked on this recovery process with his great friend and old Academy team-mate Tino Anjorin, who underwent ankle surgery a couple of weeks before his own procedure. Broja says there is a kind of ‘friendly competition’ between the two as they support and spur one another on. Having someone to talk to, not just about recovery but life away from football, has been a great comfort.

Every player’s recovery from an injury as serious as the one Broja suffered is different, so there is no return date pencilled in. All he can do is take it day by day, setting only short-term targets. ‘How is my knee feeling? How are my muscles feeling? Then go from there.’

A season that had started so promisingly for the 21-year-old, one that had included his first Chelsea starts, his first goal, his first appearances in European competition, has not turned out the way he would have wished.

But as the interview draws to a close, Broja is upbeat. This lengthy spell on the sidelines, the first of his young life, has allowed him to reflect. He believes the conclusions he has drawn and the journey he has been on will only make him stronger for the many exciting years of his career that lie ahead.

‘I have learned a lot about myself, physically and mentally,’ he concludes.

‘I have always been thankful for the position I’m in as a football player, but this has made me even more thankful. You never know when it can get taken away from you. We’re very privileged. I don’t take anything for granted now.

‘When I was bedbound, I was thinking a lot. I missed the sport a lot. It reminded me how much I cherish football, how much I love it. It was a big injury, but one I can recover from. I’m giving it my best, working my hardest to get back as quick and as strong as possible, and I’m so thankful for the recovery and support I am getting from the club.’