Chelsea star Mateo Kovacic has vowed to stop doing cheeky backheels – for fear of getting injured!

Kovacic spent a spell on the sidelines earlier this season with an abductor problem after getting injured at the end of a training session.

But the Croatia midfielder revealed it only happened because he was showboating – and that he’s now suffered TWO freak injuries at the club because of backheels.

Kovacic said: “I had two injuries here at Chelsea and two times it was quite strange. It was a backheel pass, so two times the same injury.

“So I think I will not do that any more that backheel passes any more and be more careful about that!”

Kovacic has become a key player for Blues boss Thomas Tuchel but missed 11 games before Christmas through injury and a bout of Covid

Now though he feels back to his best and claims Tuchel’s belief in him has given him the confidence to shine this season.

Kovacic said: “I feel good again now. After injuries it’s always tough to come back but I feel confident and now I can play again.

“When the boss believes in you you are confident and you can show your best. I feel he believes in me.”

Kovacic has two goals and five assists in 31 appearances for Chelsea this season and reckons he can do even more in Tuchel’s system.

He said: “The system and style of play suits me very well. I started to be confident when I came I am even better going forward this year and being dangerous.

“The assists are also down to the strikers. This year I had the luck that every time I passed the ball they scored it.

“The stats are not important. I try to be involved in other things on the pitch, not stats.”

Chelsea have already won the Club World Cup this season but Kovacic believes they are not done yet after their Carabao Cup Final heartbreak against Liverpool.

He said: “We are in the quarter finals of the FA Cup and we are in a good position in the league.

“From a tough moment we were in last year, to win the Champions League, was incredible and we saw what we can do.

“This team can be together for a long time and we saw we can win a lot of trophies.”