Chelsea handed shocking triple boost ahead of Aston Villa clash
Chelsea trio Noni Madueke, Marc Cucurella and Armando Broja have returned to full training, the club have confirmed.
Madueke suffered a muscular injury whilst away with England U21s and he was not in the squad for the 0-0 draw against Bournemouth at the weekend.
Cucurella also didn’t make the trip to the Vitality Stadium, having picked up an illness in the buildup to the game, but both the Spaniard and Madueke will be in contention to face Aston Villa on Sunday.
Armando Broja has also rejoined the main group at Cobham, having completed his rehabilitation from an ACL injury that has kept him sidelined for the best part of nine months.
The club say that the Albanian international is now undergoing a “reconditioning phase”, meaning that he will now have to prove his match fitness before being considered for selection by manager Mauricio Pochettino.
While the Blues have confirmed the return of Madueke, Cucurella and Broja to training, there was no mention of Moises Caicedo.
The Ecuadorian international picked up a knock to his knee whilst on international duty and he subsequently missed the Bournemouth fixture.
There were reports suggesting that Caicedo could be back for the match against Villa but the fact that he is still not in full training does raise doubts about those claims.
However, 8 other Chelsea players remain on the treatment table
Despite the return of three players to training, though, the Blues’ medical department still has its hands full. In addition to Caicedo, there are eight others unavailable due to injuries.
Most of them are long-term absentees, with the exception of Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah, who are both set to return from hamstring injuries before the next international break. Neither centre-back has played a single minute of first-team football this season.