John Terry appears to be as good at healing as he is at heading. The Chelsea and England captain returned yesterday from France, where he had a back operation on Thursday, and immediately resumed light training. He jogged at the club’s training ground in Surrey and it is believed that he experienced no adverse reaction.

The news points to a remarkably swift recovery that will give the Barclays Premiership champions belief that their defensive troubles will prove nothing more than a short-term blip. It will also encourage Steve McClaren, the England head coach, who can now plan for Terry to lead out his country at Old Trafford for the friendly against Spain on February 7. Sir Alex Ferguson, whose Manchester United side have a four-point lead over Chelsea, is probably less enthused.

Terry, 26, had surgery in Bordeaux to remove a sequestrated lumbar intervertebral disc. Typical recovery times indicated that he would be sidelined for up to six weeks and one report even claimed that he would be absent for three months. However, Chelsea’s decision to send Terry to Dr Jean Destandau, one of the world’s leading neurosurgeons, has paid off handsomely.

The defender even has a chance of returning for the FA Cup tie against Macclesfield Town a week today and should be fit for the match away to Liverpool in the league on January 20. That is the only daunting fixture Chelsea face until they resume Champions League action with a trip to FC Porto on February 21.

“The instructions from the surgeon were to run the day after surgery,” Bryan English, the club doctor, said. “That is great for us and great for John. I am not in the game of pushing him out there because it is for the benefit of Chelsea Football Club, but I also don’t want to hold him back unnecessarily.

“For John’s particular diagnosis, which we came to a conclusion on ten days ago, we tried injection therapy to relieve it, which was unsuccessful. We still need to monitor John and see how we go, but 24 to 48 hours after surgery there are no restrictions to get back.”

Chelsea’s defence has looked so insecure without its leader, who last played on December 13, that the club are desperate for him to return. “We are leaking goals we don’t normally leak,” Steve Clarke, the assistant manager, said.

Chelsea are expected to launch an £18 million bid for Micah Richards, the Manchester City defender, when the transfer window opens on Monday, but if Terry is back to something near his best by the end of the month, their need will be less pressing.

Chris Coleman, the Fulham manager, is without six first-team regulars for the match at Stamford Bridge today but wants to make the most of the champions’ vulnerability and will play two forwards. “We won’t be sitting back,” Coleman said. “Defenders don’t like playing against Brian McBride, and Collins John will play — he has to make sure that he causes them problems. We have to get in the last third and put pressure on them.”

Clint Dempsey has agreed to join Fulham in a £1.5 million deal, but the United States and New England Revolution attacking midfield player will not be eligible to play for the West London club until the transfer window opens and until he receives a work permit.

Dempsey, 23, is unlikely to make his Premiership debut until the match away to West Ham United on January 13. “We expect him to make a big impact,” Coleman said. “He is strong, has good pace and a good touch. He has all the tools in his locker to be a good player in the Premier League.”

Coleman also hinted — as revealed in The Times three weeks ago — that he was close to signing Vincenzo Montella, the former Italy forward, from AS Roma. “I can’t comment because he is a Roma player but he is someone we like,” he said.

Didier Drogba, the Premiership’s leading scorer, has revealed that he considered leaving Chelsea in the summer. “I had some teams who wanted to sign me so I had to think as I had won the league here for two consecutive years,” Drogba told the BBC. “I was thinking, but not too much because Chelsea showed how they respect me and how they wanted me to stay.”