Ghana midfielder Michael Essien has spoken of his disappointment at missing the World Cup.

Essien tore the medial ligament in his left knee while training with the Black Stars prior to the African Nations Cup in January and, after missing the remainder of the Premier League season with Chelsea, was last week ruled out of the tournament in South Africa.

"I did everything I could but eventually I succumbed to the injury and had to accept the fact that the body takes its own time to heal and you cannot rush things," he said on Chelsea's official website.