Liam Rosenior says Mamadou Sarr will “definitely” make his first appearance for Chelsea since being recalled from loan when they face Hull City on Friday.
Chelsea face the Championship high-fliers at the MKM Stadium looking to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
For head coach Rosenior, it will be an emotional return to the club he played for, captained, and went on the manage between 2022 and 2024.
It also looks set to be a big evening for 20-year-old centre-back Sarr as he prepares to make his first appearance since Chelsea triggered an option in his contract to recall him early from his loan with Strasbourg, where he played under Rosenior in the first half of the season.
Sarr won the Africa Cup of Nations last month with Senegal and has been brought back to provide added depth at centre-back for Chelsea.
His only appearance for the Blues so far came with eight minutes off the bench in the Club World Cup group game against ES Tunis in the United States last summer.
Internally at Chelsea, there is a belief that his game has come on a lot in the intervening eight months.
Asked whether Sarr would play in the game against Hull, Rosenior said: “Yes. Mamadou's got a great chance to start the game.
“It's very difficult for a player in January to move clubs. Obviously, the great thing for Mamadou is he's been here before and also he knows me very well and my expectations and demands with the players.
“He's only been here for a week, so he needs time to bed in.”
Rosenior added: “He needs time to acclimatise, but now I think he's in a really good place and he'll definitely see the pitch at some point on Friday.”
