A few of Chelsea’s first-team stars have returned to training after taking a break while their colleagues represented their countries.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!A handful of Chelsea players have returned to Cobham to resume training under the supervision of new manager Graham Potter ahead of the Blues’ match against Crystal Palace this weekend.
Many of Chelsea’s first-team players are still on international duty, although Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Trevoh Chalobah, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Edouard Mendy, Kepa Arrizabalaga, and Marcus Bettinelli returned to training on Monday following a brief break ahead of a busy October schedule.
Only Mendy was called up for international duty from that group, but the Senegal goalkeeper has not been engaged with the African Cup of Nations champions as they overcame Bolivia and now face Iran. The 30-year-old has been dealing with a knee ailment in recent weeks and has missed Chelsea’s previous two games.
Potter addressed Mendy’s concerns ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League match against Salzburg. He stated: “Eddie has responded nicely, although his knee has caused him some discomfort. I don’t believe it’ll take long, but we should allow him some space.”
The Blues manager has had limited time to work with his team since taking over just three weeks ago, and games against Fulham and Liverpool have already been postponed. However, football.london knows that a behind-closed-doors friendly with Potter’s previous side Brighton did take place, with the Blues coming out on top 2-1. The players that played against Salzburg did not play at the Amex Stadium, however, Carney Chukwuemeka scored twice.
Potters’ short time with his team means that even with such a tiny group, the chance to train his players cannot be taken up as he attempts to instill his ethos in a new context.
N’Golo Kante was not among the photos provided by the club on Monday, although the Frenchman has been working on his health after missing out on France’s Nations League matches due to a hamstring injury suffered against Tottenham earlier this season.
A group of developing players was also there to assist fill out the session. Dylan Williams, Ben Elliott, Josh Brooking, and Brodi Hughes were among those pictured by the club.
