John Terry gave Chelsea a major fright yesterday after limping out of the club’s open training day at Stamford Bridge.

Thousands of watching Blues supporters had their hearts in their mouths when Terry hobbled out of a practice match towards the end of the 90-minute session and went down clutching his right ankle.

The Chelsea captain failed to respond to on-field treatment and had to be helped from the pitch by two club medics, looking in some distress as he disappeared down the tunnel.

Fears were immediately raised over the 31-year-old’s fitness for Thursday night’s crucial Premier League game at Tottenham but the Blues quickly allayed those following further treatment.

Terry’s problem was diagnosed as an Achilles tendon tweak suffered when he blocked a shot, with the club having no doubt he would be available for the trip to White Hart Lane.

His absence would have left Chelsea with only one fit centre-half in Branislav Ivanovic, with David Luiz also missing yesterday’s session with the knee injury that saw him sit out Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Wigan, and Alex banished from the squad after submitting a transfer request.

Luiz and midfielder Ramires, who was also unavailable for the trip to the DW Stadium due to a bruised leg, continued to receive treatment on their injuries yesterday, the club optimistic both would be fit for Thursday.

Terry’s injury provided a dramatic end to the open training day, which gave supporters their first chance to see manager Andre Villas-Boas put his side through their paces since he took charge this summer.

Programme
Today: 20.45 Wolves vs Norwich. 21.00 Blackburn vs Bolton.
Wednesday: 20.45 Aston Villa vs Arsenal; Manchester City vs Stoke; Newcastle vs West Brom. 21.00 Everton vs Swansea; Fulham vs Manchester United; QPR vs Sunderland; Wigan vs Liverpool.
Thursday: 21.00 Tottenham vs Chelsea.