The defender has been sidelined since suffering cruciate knee ligament damage against Man Utd in February. After eight months on the sidelines, centre-back Kurt Zouma finally returned to action for Chelsea on Monday for their reserves. The France international suffered cruciate knee ligament damage during a 1-1 Premier League draw with Manchester United on February 7.

It has been a long road back to fitness for the 21-year-old, who had nailed down a regular role in the Blues’ starting line-up prior to picking up an unfortunate injury – one which also dashed his Euro 2016 dreams. Zouma was able to return to training over the summer, allowing him to make an early impression on incoming manager Antonio Conte.