Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is seemingly on the verge of a double fitness boost after both Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James came through their comeback game.
The pair featured for the U23s side against Brighton on Friday night, and as noted by The Sun, they came through without suffering any setbacks and so appear to be edging closer and closer to featuring at senior level in the more immediate future.
James played 45 minutes before being replaced while Hudson-Odoi stayed on the pitch for an hour, and so it will undoubtedly have been crucial for the pair to get minutes under their belt and not only get over their injury blows but also to work on their match fitness.
Time will tell whether or not that was enough for Lampard to include them in his squad next week with Chelsea facing Valencia in the Champions League on Tuesday night before hosting Liverpool next Sunday.
Given the magnitude of those two games, it would seem unlikely that the young duo will get thrown straight back into the mix, and so perhaps they could have another run out with the U23s in the meantime to continue to get their fitness and sharpness back to where it needs to be.
Nevertheless, it will be a welcome boost for Lampard and great news for the Blues that they’ll have two quality young players back available sooner rather than later, with the Chelsea boss showing so far this season that he’s ready to give the talented youngsters at his disposal a chance to impress and stake their claim in the side.
It’s one thing making their comeback, but the pair will undoubtedly be both delighted and relieved that they were able to come through unscathed and take another big step towards making a full recovery.