Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma is finally ready to return to the first team, after spending months out of action, having suffered a terrible knee injury earlier this year.
The Frenchman completed his first 90 minutes since the injury, starting in the Blues Chekatrade Trophy win against Oxford on Tuesday. Under 23 coach Adi Viveash has since confirmed that the centre-back is ready to train under Antonio Conte, and insists that the player has been a pleasure to work with.
"I'd say he is ready to train with you [Conte], yes," the coachsaid in a press conference (Daily Mail). "He has been a privilege to work with, he is a fine young player, he has been tremendous with the boys, he works very, very hard every day.
"He has been really good and he gives good advice, but you have still got to remember that he is very young and he has now got to get into a defence that is performing excellently at the minute but what he does do is that he gives the manager another quality player and that, I imagine, is important for his squad.
"I would imagine [that he will return soon to the first team], he has trained with them a few days of last week then going into this game he came back with us on Sunday, two days before this. He did a few days with them and he did a few days a week before.
"He is building up and the manager is getting to look at him. He is getting closer and I think he is waiting to see if he gets through 90 and now we will see if there are any problems with the knee tomorrow.
"He will come in and cool down and then after Thursday he will train with the players that have not gone on international duty."