Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater has opened up on his 'shambles' of a four-year spell with the Blues after joining Reading on loan for the 2021-22 season.

While Thomas Tuchel's side fly high in the Premier League, Drinkwater has been forced to take a step down the footballing pyramid in search of first-team football with the Berkshire club snapping him up in the summer.

Signed by Antonio Conte on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2017, the midfielder immediately struggled to stamp his authority on a first-team place, making just 12 top-flight appearances.

He would make just one more for Chelsea. Loan spells with Burnley and Aston Villa both also proved unsuccessful and suddenly Drinkwater's career looked incredibly uncertain.

After a strong debut with the Royals, however, maybe things are starting to get back on track.

“Can I paint a picture? No. It’s been a shambles,” the 31-year-old told talkSPORT.

“It’s football, it’s never straightforward, it’s never simple. I’m just excited for the new challenges.

“I need to [kick-start my career]. I’m more excited about this than I have been for a few years now, especially how my career’s panned out.

“Games, getting the enjoyment of football back, then going from there. A few have slid away, I’ve made mistakes, I’ve not played.

“I’m in the last year of my contract, so there’s more than just football riding on it. I’ve got other things.”

Drinkwater arrived at Stamford Bridge a year after helping Leicester to an incredible Premier League triumph under Claudio Ranieri, forming a rock-solid partnership with N'Golo Kante, winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year award after a stellar debut season in West London.

The pair's career have taken different trajectories since, however.

Kante has gone on to play crucial roles in FA Cup, Champions League and World Cup successes. Drinkwater's most memorable moment in blue came when he kicked an opponent in a reserve game.

But an impressive debut in the Royals' 2-1 win away to Fulham on Saturday shows things could finally be changing for Drinkwater.