Michael Essien handed Chelsea a fitness tonic by playing 90 minutes for Ghana on Tuesday evening.

The powerhouse midfielder is nursing a broken bone in his wrist and Blues boss Jose Mourinho claimed after Sunday's Community Shield that it was not clear if Essien would be available for Chelsea's Premiership curtain raiser with Manchester City.

Blues also have fitness concerns over Michael Ballack, but Essien moved to ease Mourinho's problems by turning out for his country on Tuesday.

Essien played 90 minutes of the 2-0 win over Togo and came through the contest without any incident.

The former Lyon man did not look handicapped by his problem and his effort is sure to have pleased the Chelsea coaching staff.