Kurt Zouma backs Antonio Conte's decision to delay his Chelsea first-team return

Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma has backed Antonio Conte's decision to delay his comeback with the first team.

Zouma hasn't featured for Chelsea since suffering a serious knee ligament injury against Manchester United in February.

The France international is back training with the senior side, but is only getting to play for the Under-23s at the moment.

He was part of a side that included captain John Terry, Cesc Fabregas and £33.1m summer signing Michy Batshuayi against Southampton's Under-23s on Monday.

And Zouma said: "I am very pleased to play another 90 minutes. I need to play, keep going and to work because I was out for a long time.

"I am very happy to play (for the Under-23s), I need game-time. I am used to being with the first team, but I am so lucky because I can play with the Under-23s and with a very good team.

"The skipper (Terry) is still there, he's still sharp and in good form. He did well (against Southampton Under-23s). It's very good to get some advice from him."

Conte has no need to rush Zouma back with the team winning six successive games without conceding a goal.

Chelsea are now top of the table and the former Italy coach, who joined Chelsea on a three-year contract in the summer, insists his main motivation is to repay owner Roman Abramovich's faith in him.

He said: "I want to prove to the owner that he picked well when he chose Antonio Conte for the next three years. For me, that counts more than titles.

"It's not going to be easy (to finish top). There are six sides in the hunt for the title, one of them will win, three will go into the Champions League and the other two in the Europa League. This Premier League season is probably the hardest ever.

"We need to rival Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and Manchester United. There is no other League in the world with such values of excellence.

"I'm happy, especially for the players, because being top is not only a reward for our work, but it also indicates that we are heading in the right direction. But we must not forget that a-month-and-a-half ago, after losing to Liverpool and Arsenal, the climate was gloomy."