Chelsea have begun sharing images of the players starting to begin their pre-season preparations at Cobham ahead of the 2022/23 season, and the first 14 squad members to report back have been revealed.
Thomas Tuchel confirmed at the end of last season that the first set of payers would be back at the training ground on Saturday 2nd July, those who were not involved in international action in June.
It saw Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi return earlier to undergo individual programmes to step up their return after missing large chunks of the 2021/22 season due to injury.
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The club took to their social media channels to welcome the players back on Saturday, and Chilwell and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were the first to be pictured, recording themselves heading out onto the pitches and both were in high spirits "feeling good and ready" to go for pre-season.
Hours later and the whole first batch of players to return was revealed in another video by the club.
All the players look in positive mood as they hugged and embraced each other at Cobham as they began stretching work among other exercises set out by club staff.
There were 14 players to return and those names were as follows:
Goalkeepers: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marcus Bettinelli
Defenders: Ben Chilwell, Ian Maatsen, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Malang Sarr, Dujon Sterling
Midfielders: Ross Barkley, Tino Anjorin, Kenedy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Attackers: Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi
Chelsea will welcome the international stars back next week ahead of the club's trip to the United States for their three matches against Club America, Charlotte FC and Arsenal.
The club have confirmed Tuchel's side will fly out to America next Saturday which will see the Blues players yet to return immediately get on a plane across the Atlantic should Tuchel's plans for them remain.
He said in May: "That means anyway they come one week later than the rest. That would mean in our case they come on 9 July.
"This is the plan and hopefully we can do this and have everybody for the pre-season because it is a pre-season when you have at least three-and-half to four weeks together and not a lot of people are coming in with in different timings. It's more or less two groups."
Chalobah confirmed his return after taking a photo of his locker back at the training ground and taking to Snapchat to show off his space.
Topics: Chelsea
Matthew Debono