Enzo Maresca could be in line for Chelsea boost ahead of pre-season training return

It won't be long at all until Enzo Maresca is getting down to work with his Chelsea players at the club's Cobham training base. Now in the final week of June, the vast majority of Premier League sides will be commencing their pre-season training come the start of July.

The Italian will be looking to immediately stamp his mark on his new team after replacing Mauricio Pochettino in the hotseat at the beginning of this month. Although Maresca is due to have a large chunk of players available to him come the first day of training with many not getting the nod for either Euro 2024 or the Copa America, he won't have every single member of his squad available right away due to their participation in the international tournaments.

However, he will have a better idea over the next few days of who exactly could be making an early return to pre-season training. The group phase of Euro 2024 is now drawing to a conclusion, with Group A coming to a close on Sunday evening as Germany pipped Switzerland to top spot.

The following five groups will all come to an end over the next three evenings, finishing with Group F in the 8pm kick-off on Wednesday. Chelsea do currently have eight players involved in the Euros but a few of them could be set for a return home.

One of those is Armando Broja, who is representing Albania in Group B. Albania are currently third in their group heading into the final showdown with Spain but they have quite the task on their hands trying to get something off a very impressive La Roja side.

That in turn could play into Croatia's hands as they look to leapfrog Albania and also move ahead of Italy to sew up a top-two finish. If Albania are to be defeated against Spain on Monday evening, they will be heading home and that will mean an early pre-season return for Broja following his summer break.

READ MORE: Enzo Maresca and Chelsea handed dream Europa Conference League scenario ahead of fixture changes

READ MORE: Chelsea's Jonathan David transfer stance revealed as Samu Omorodion problem explained

Staying in Group B, Marc Cucurella will be involved in the knockout phase of Euro 2024 with Spain safely through to the Round of 16. The left-back has starred for his country in their opening two games and he will be intent on maintaining his form as Spain eye Euro glory.

In Group C, Conor Gallagher and Cole Palmer are on course to go through with England and will be remaining in Germany for the time being. As England will be expected to go quite far in the Euros despite an underwhelming start to the tournament so far, the duo look set to miss a large chunk of Chelsea's pre-season under Maresca.

Goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic could be one of the first international players back at Cobham with Serbia currently bottom of Group C. A win over Denmark would see Serbia qualify for the Round of 16 but a defeat would spell the end of their campaign. They would also need results to go their way if they are to draw.

Two of Chelsea's eight players at the Euros include Ian Maatsen and Romelu Lukaku. Both players are in a good position to qualify to the next stage of the competition with Belgium and Netherlands respectively but their long-term futures appear to be away from Stamford Bridge. Maatsen will soon become an Aston Villa player and Lukaku has been linked with a move to Napoli following Antonio Conte's appointment in Naples.

In Group E, Mykhailo Mudryk and Ukraine are currently bottom of the standings but an awful lot could change on Wednesday with all four teams on three points. Ukraine's final fixture comes against Belgium in Stuttgart.

If Mudryk's Euro 2024 campaign is to come to an end after only three games, a return to Chelsea pre-season training under Maresca could really play into his hands. The talented winger has yet to really flourish on a consistent basis for the Blues and the new head coach will be determined to see the best of the Ukrainian, who would no doubt benefit from a strong pre-season under the Italian.

Those who are to exit the Euros at the group stage wouldn't immediately return to Chelsea training due to their summer break but they would certainly still get a good amount of time to get to work with Maresca in comparison to those players who go to the latter stages of Euro 2024. In terms of the Copa America, the group phase for Chelsea duo Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo comes to an end this weekend.

Fernandez and Argentina currently sit top of Group A following a 2-0 victory over Canada in their opening games. The World Cup holders will be expected to remain there as they come up against Chile and Peru later this week.

For Caicedo and Ecuador, they currently sit third in Group B after a 2-1 loss against Venezuela. Caicedo and his country face Mexico and Jamaica in their last two games as they look to avoid an early elimination.

No doubt with his plans already in place as he looks for a strong pre-season, Maresca will be wanting to work with his Chelsea's international players sooner rather than later ahead of a very big season in west London.