Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell is set to return to the squad for the Blues EFL Cup match against League Two leaders Barrow on Tuesday night.
The Chelsea boss made it explicitly clear that the England international was not part of his plans at Stamford Bridge this season, urging him to leave the club before the summer transfer window closed.
Chilwell was forced to train away from the first team, alongside the other members of Chelsea's 'bomb squad,' such as Raheem Sterling and Trevoh Chalobah.
While Sterling and Chalobah successfully found new clubs after being informed their time was up under Maresca, a transfer for Chilwell never came to fruition despite reported interest from several clubs across Europe.
However, it now seems that a truce between the player and head coach has been established, with the defender seen back in training on Monday and set to feature for the Blues in midweek.
© Imago
Maresca admits the situation regarding Chilwell has changed
Maresca announced that the situation regarding Chilwell had changed and now intends to include the defender in his matchday squad for the third-round cup tie, following his return to first-team training.
When asked if the 27-year-old will play against the League Two outfit, Maresca replied: "I think so. Hopefully we can give him some minutes tomorrow.
"The idea for him was to leave. In the moment that he's here, he's one of the squad, he's training.
"He will be in the squad tomorrow and hopefully we can give him some minutes."
Chilwell's last competitive appearance for the West Londoners came in the form of a two-minute cameo during Chelsea's 1-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City on April 20.
Last season, the left-back was plagued by hamstring and knee injuries which played a major part in him being left out of Gareth Southgate's squad for the European Championship.
© Imago
Other Chelsea players in line to feature in midweek
In his interview, Maresca dismissed claims that Mykhailo Mudryk, who many feel has not justified the £62m fee Chelsea paid for him in January last year, is struggling with confidence, but did admit that the Ukrainian needs to improve.
Along with Chilwell, the Italian manager also confirmed that the likes of Joao Felix, Benoit Badiashile, Christopher Nkunku and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are also expected to be included in the Blues' squad this week.
He said: "Misha, like Benoit and all the other players not getting too many chances [will play].
"Tomorrow it is a good chance for them to get minutes and to hopefully win the game."
Following the EFL Cup match against Barrow, Chelsea will resume Premier League action this weekend when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
Devesh Jaganath
