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Sancho moment, triple injury boost - Four things spotted in Chelsea training ahead of Leicester

Jadon Sancho pictured in Chelsea training ahead of Leicester City
-Credit: (Image: Chelsea)


The November international break has finally come to an end and Enzo Maresca will soon have all of his Chelsea players back at Cobham.

Enzo Fernandez played the full 90 minutes as Argentina beat Peru 1-0 overnight, while Moises Caicedo also played the entire match as Ecuador were victorious over Colombia by the same scoreline. Both players are expected to make their way back to London on Wednesday, although they are not expected to return to training with the Blues until Thursday or potentially even Friday.

It's not ideal preparation for Maresca at all given Chelsea face Leicester City in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off this weekend. Maresca has had the pleasure of working with more than a dozen senior stars at Cobham over the past week or so, though, with those who remained with the Blues over the break put through their paces by the Italian.

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Temperatures in west London dropped drastically on Tuesday and the players were even treated to a few small flurries of snow. That didn't stop the players training, however, as they were pictured out on the grass and inside the gym. football.london lists four things we spotted from Tuesday's session.

Jadon Sancho back

Jadon Sancho has been plagued by a number of issues over the last few weeks but has finally been spotted back in team training. The 24-year-old has missed the last two Premier League games through both illness and injury but looks to be in contention to return against Leicester at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

With three assists in five Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season, Sancho was spotted on the ball at Cobham during one of the sessions put on my Maresca. Wrapped up in a woolly hat, gloves, jumper and trousers, it's clear Sancho was feeling the cold in west London!

Gusto and Fofana boost

Two players who dropped out of representing their countries due to injury concerns were Malo Gusto and Wesley Fofana. Gusto had travelled to France to join up with the Under-21s squad but after examination returned to London. Fofana had been due to meet up with the French senior squad but also pulled out, with the defender "experiencing pain in his left knee" following the draw with Arsenal before the break.

It was a big boost, then, to see both players out on the grass at Cobham on Tuesday. Both have impressed under Maresca this season and the duo are likely to be included in the matchday squad for Saturday's trip to Leicester.

Cole Palmer hint

Cole Palmer was one of 10 players to drop out of Lee Carsley's England squad to face both Greece and Republic of Ireland, although he has been out and about in recent days. The attacking midfielder watched Stockport's win over Wrexham at Edgeley Park and now appears to have returned to Cobham as attention turns to Leicester.

While pictures of Palmer training at Cobham on Tuesday were not released by official Chelsea channels, Palmer's Nike Mercurial boots were snapped on the grass at the training base, with two cold emojis and the word 'Palmer' printed on the footwear. The Englishman will want to add to his seven Premier League goals this weekend.

Gym work

With temperatures below freezing on Tuesday, some players took the opportunity to work out in the gym. Reece James, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile were all snapped taking part in strength training and flexibility work as preparations for Leicester increase.