Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says Michael Essien will be part of his squad this season.

Essien is back with Chelsea after a spell on-loan at Real Madrid.

"He's a great man," said Mourinho. "He is loyal to me, he is loyal to Chelsea, he is loyal to Madrid, he is loyal to everybody. He is a great man and a very good player and I see him with special motivation.

"He went to Madrid because he was in a difficult situation here. He recovered his happiness and condition and played very important matches.

"We all know he is not a 20-year-old boy anymore. We all know he went through a very difficult period with his injury but he's a fantastic player and the kind of player in this profile of squad, a squad of many, many, many talented kids, we need to give us balance.

"I know Michael better than anybody else. I know he can play in every position apart from goalkeeper and striker, so he will be very useful to us.

"Football is a little bit like society in general terms and it looks like people now forget about some principles. For me loyalty is fundamental, not just in football but also in life and we need this kind of boy."