John Terry is ready to risk serious injury by returning from surgery to play with a fractured cheekbone in Chelsea’s Champions League tie against Valencia tomorrow.

The England captain will fly to southern Spain with his teammates this morning and train in the Mestalla stadium wearing a custom-made face mask before a decision is made on his fitness. Terry is adamant that he wants to play, even though the usual recovery time from such an injury is about six weeks.

Terry has made a habit of playing through the pain barrier, recently joking that he expects to be counting his medals from a wheelchair because of the battering his body has taken throughout his career, but leading out his team in one of European football’s most hostile arenas would complete his most spectacular comeback.

Terry, 26, had surgery on Sunday morning after being caught by Clint Dempsey’s elbow during the Barclays Premier League match against Fulham the previous day, but he had recovered sufficiently to take part in a noncontact training session at Chelsea’s training ground yesterday.

Terry then had fitted a protective mask, which he is expected to wear in training today to see how he copes with contact. Avram Grant, the Chelsea first-team coach, has told his staff that the central defender must have a rigorous workout before he can contemplate picking him, although Terry will be given every chance to prove his fitness.

Chelsea were less happy when the FA decided yesterday not to take disciplinary action against Dempsey. Martin Atkinson, the referee at Stamford Bridge, indicated in his report that he had seen the incident and had not deemed it worthy of punishment.

Whether or not Terry plays, his rapid recovery is welcome news for Steve McClaren before England’s crucial European Championship matches against Estonia and Russia this month, although the head coach may change is mind if he aggravates the injury tomorrow. “It’s encouraging that he’s travelling,” McClaren said.

However, there must be some concern for the player’s long-term welfare. After ignoring a back problem for much of last season before having an operation, Terry has been playing with a broken toe since August and regularly receives painkilling injections to get through training. While such bravery and willingness to sacrifice himself for club and country is commendable, there seems a risk of Terry suffering lasting damage or having his career shortened.

Professor Peter Brennan, a specialist in facial injuries, gave warning yesterday that Terry risked developing numbness and double vision if he took another knock, but added that the decision must lie with the player.

“It is unstable and if you were to knock it again the chances are the bone would go back in and he would require another procedure,” Brennan said. “If it’s the cheekbone itself, that usually has a lot more symptoms - you have some numbness of the face, eye movements can be affected, double vision. But if he’s willing to take that chance, there’s no reason why he couldn’t play.”

Grant’s selection problems eased when Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Essien came through training yesterday. The pair are expected to take their places on the plane to Spain.

Chelsea’s long-term recruitment strategy suffered a setback, though, when Ronaldinho said that he had no desire to move to Stamford Bridge from Barcelona. The forward’s declaration of his love for the Spanish club will come as a blow to Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, who entertained Roberto de Assis, Ronaldinho’s brother and agent, in August and hoped to make the Brazilian his star signing next summer.

“I want to stay with Barcelona,” Ronaldinho said. “Not Chelsea or [AC] Milan. Barça are rebuilding the Nou Camp from 2009 and I imagine playing for Barça on their new stage. When they inaugurate the next stage, I want them to present me before my public with a great team around me able to win more titles.”