Seven members of the 25-man Chelsea squad that travelled out to Abu Dhabi have not been selected for this evening's friendly against Premier League rivals Aston Villa at the Al Nahyan Stadium.
Graham Potter and his players arrived in the Middle East on Monday morning for a week-long warm-weather training camp designed to help a number of senior stars build fitness ahead of the second half of the 2022/23 campaign. The trip is rounded off with today's friendly, which is being played for the CBF | Al Wahda Challenge Cup.
With a number of senior Chelsea players yet to return from the World Cup, Potter has named a makeshift squad to take on a far stronger Villa side. There are several notable absentees from the matchday group, although the majority were expected.
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Kepa Arrizabalaga has been doing individual work while out in the UAE as he attempts to overcome plantar fasciitis. The injury can occur through sudden damage or over months and years. It can cause tiny tears to develop inside the tissue of the plantar fascia and this can lead to it thickening, resulting in heel pain. The surrounding tissue and heel bone can also become inflamed.
Reece James is the furthest along in his recovery. The England international returned to training at the start of the week and completed his first full session with the squad on Friday. However, that was never going to be enough for James to return to action against Villa.
"Before getting back out here it's been frustrating," James told Chelsea's in-house media on Friday. "Missing the World Cup [was hard] and then the injury taking longer than I first hoped. But it's good to be back with the team. It was my first session which was light contact. It's good to be back in a nice place – and with good weather."
James is understood to have taken part in a daytime training session ahead of the this evening's match alongside Wesley Fofana and young midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka. Fofana is closing in on a return to team training following the knee injury he sustained in October while no risks have been Chukwuemeka
The 19-year-old, who joined Chelsea from Villa in the summer, has been training this week as he steps up his comeback from a hamstring issue that kept him out of several matches before the World Cup break. But he hasn't been selected in the squad by Potter to face his former side.
Ben Chilwell has continued his recovery from a hamstring injury while out in the Middle East but isn't ready to return to the first-team fold. There remains hope, though, the wing-back will be available when Chelsea's Premier League campaign restarts against Bournemouth on December 27.
As exclusively revealed by football.london earlier this week, Ruben Loftus-Cheek is currently sidelined due to the injury he sustained against Newcastle United last month. The midfielder hasn't returned to training following the injury and has been doing rehabilitation and gym work in Abu Dhabi.
N'Golo Kante travelled out with the 25-man squad but is some way off a return. The Frenchman, who is out of contract in the summer, underwent hamstring surgery in October and while no longer on crutches, isn't expected to make a return to full fitness until the end of February.
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