Half an hour in the company of Steve Sidwell is enough to demonstrate why José Mourinho surprised many by turning to the former Reading midfield player to bolster a squad aiming to win the Champions League. Sidwell possesses many of the characteristics that the Portuguese holds so dear; honesty, commitment and a determination to make the most of his ability. A carrot-topped Frank Lampard seems a fitting description.

To the cynics who have suggested that accepting a place on the bench at Stamford Bridge represented the easy option, Sidwell passionately insists that his rationale was the opposite. The 24-year-old was determined to grasp a second chance to play at the highest level having failed to make the grade at Arsenal as a teenager.

“For me this was too big an opportunity to turn down,” he said. “I’d rather retire at the end of my career knowing I’ve given everything I’ve got to try and play at the highest level. If it works, then fantastic. If it doesn’t, then I’ll hold my hands up and say, ‘Well, at least I gave it a go.’ I’ll admit I wasn’t good enough, that’s all anyone can say in life. At least I’ve got the bottle to do it.

“There’s one thing that I can guarantee: when people put challenges in front of me, I’m not one to lie down. If I get knocked back – I’ve had a lot of knock-backs over my career so far – I get up and I’m still fighting.”

Sidwell admits to being hurt by those who have questioned whether he will have a role to play at Chelsea. More talented midfield players have failed to make a lasting impact at the club, including Juan Sebastián Verón, Scott Parker, Maniche and arguably Michael Ballack, though Sidwell will not fail for want of trying.

“There’s been a lot of negativity about me joining Chelsea, saying I wasn’t going to play and all that,” he said. “It’s disappointing when people out there, so-called friends, say ‘It’s a fantastic move, well done, but are you going to play?’ It’s not worked out for others before me, but I can’t go through my career, not coming to Chelsea and finishing my career saying, ‘I could have played for them’. I thought about the competition, but it’s down to me to try and get into the squad. If I don’t get into a squad on a Saturday I’ll try even harder in training the next week.”

Sidwell has fitted in seamlessly, with the bad blood between Chelsea and Reading after Petr Cech’s fractured skull, suffered in the match between the sides last October, not flowing to his door. “I didn’t have to go and clear the air with Petr, not at all,” he said. “Everyone’s got their views and opinions on the incidents that happened in that game. One thing I can say is that it was a freak game. I’m sure that’ll never be seen again in football, but these things do happen.”

Having spent preseason training with Reading in Sweden for the past three years, Sidwell admits that reporting for duty in Los Angeles represented a culture shock. “It’s been such a rollercoaster ride,” he said. “I don’t know when it’s going to hit me, but it’s down to me to be professional enough to do my job. If I’m honest, leaving Arsenal at the time, if you’d have said: ‘I’ll be playing for Chelsea in four or five years,’ I would have said it was very unlikely. Now I have to turn that dream to reality.”