Veron: I wasn't fit enough to play

Juan Veron claimed he asked to be dropped from the Chelsea team in order to boost his fitness.

The 28-year-old midfielder has struggled to make an impact since his £16.8 million move from Manchester United and was dropped for Sunday's 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.

Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri claimed his Argentine star was not fit enough and Veron agrees, despite undergoing almost a full pre-season at Old Trafford.

Instead of playing, he spent last weekend lifting weights in Chelsea's gym. But he has vowed to come back better than ever.

Veron said: "I explained to the manager that the best thing I could do was to stop playing in the first team so I could train to get back to my best physical condition.

"I did not do pre-season training with Chelsea and I want to put myself right so I can play regularly. I don't want to do things the wrong way and then risk suffering exhaustion.

"The manager told me he understood and we came to an agreement. There are no problems between us. When the team played against Middlesbrough, I got the most out of my time to train differently."

Veron now believes his extra training has paid off and he is confident of being ready for Chelsea's next Premiership game - against Birmingham on Tuesday.

He said: "I believe I will play next Tuesday against Birmingham. I do not know if I will be in my best condition but I will perform better."