With less than two weeks until the resumption of the Premier League, work got back under way in earnest at Cobham on Wednesday morning. The Blues returned to action after flying back home from Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Their first friendly of the mid-season break saw a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa compounded by a significant injury to Armando Broja. The Albania international ruptered his anterior cruciate ligament and is now expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Trevoh Chalobah did not feature in the CBF Al Wahda FC Challenge Cup match despite having originally been named in the starting lineup. The 23-year-old was taken out of the team as a precaution and returned to Chelsea training on Wednesday alongside a number of Blues stars who arrived under Graham Potter's tutelage once again having participated in the World Cup.
READ MORE: 'Devastated' Armando Broja breaks silence after Chelsea confirm injury will see star miss season
Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, Christian Pulisic and Denis Zakaria were all pictured back at Cobham having departed Qatar following the last-16. Those who have left the tournament after that stage are expected to have one week off before returning to prepare for the Blues' clash with Bournemouth.
Potter will have been further boosted as Carney Chukwuemeka, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Kai Havertz and Kepa Arrizabalaga all featured on a cold morning in Surrey to continue their return to full fitness, ahead of a second friendly the Blues are set to play in the next week. However, Ben Chilwell and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were not among the released images on Wednesday.
Chelsea's head coach outlined their progression before returning from Abu Dhabi. He said: "We’ve got a full week’s training when we get back and then we have a friendly the following week so that will be good. There’s a few more guys coming back from the World Cup so it’s moving nicely.
"We’ll be able to have a few more players back in full training with us. Reece James has moved forward, Wesley Fofana is moving forward, Carney Chukwuemeka is moving forward so that’s positive. Hopefully Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ben Chilwell can also take a step forward in their rehab next week so we’re optimistic about that."
Youngsters Lewis Hall, Omari Hutchinson Ben Elliott, Charlie Webster and Mason Burstow remained with the group after not being selected for the under-21 side that lost to Cheltenham in the Papa John's Trophy. Dion Rankine and Bashir Humphreys were also not involved in that game having travelled to the UAE with the first team squad, though it is unclear if their contributions were simply being managed.
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