Xabi Alonso will take charge of Chelsea for the first time in a competitive fixture on Monday when his side travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in the Premier League, with the new head coach receiving a boost on the injury front ahead of kick-off.
Danny Welbeck, who joined Chelsea from Brighton over the summer, had trained individually at the club's Cobham base on Friday, sparking concern that the forward could miss out on Alonso's first game in the dugout. However, the Spanish coach has since confirmed that Welbeck, who has been carrying a minor issue, will be fit to feature.
Alonso also gave the green light to several players who reported back late for pre-season duty following their involvement at the World Cup, stating that they would all be considered for selection despite having had a truncated build-up to the campaign.
Among that group is midfielder Enzo Fernandez, whose long-term future at Stamford Bridge remains uncertain amid continued speculation linking him with a move to Manchester City. Chelsea had set a deadline for interested clubs to match their £120million valuation of the Argentine, but no formal offers materialised before that point passed.
When pressed on whether Fernandez had personally assured him of his commitment to the club, Alonso declined to give a direct answer. He did, though, speak positively about the player's application in training since rejoining the group ten days ago.
"Enzo is a Chelsea player. He is a top, top player," Alonso said. "He's training really well since he started 10 days ago with the team, very integrated, and we are happy with him, and he's getting ready for Monday."
Elsewhere in Chelsea's squad, forward Emmanuel Emegha has returned to full training after missing much of pre-season with a hamstring problem, though his readiness for a starting role remains in question. Young defender Aaron Anselmino continues to be sidelined by a separate hamstring issue, sustained during Chelsea's pre-season tour of Australia and Asia.
Tactically, it remains to be seen whether Alonso will deploy a back three or a back four against Fulham, having experimented with both setups throughout pre-season friendlies. Regardless of the system chosen, the head coach is expected to give competitive debuts to Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers together for the first time since Rogers' club-record £117million switch from Aston Villa. The pair lined up together against Real Sociedad in a warm-up fixture, with Rogers netting his first goal in Chelsea colours.
Given the size of his squad, Alonso has been working with two separate training groups during preparations for the new season.
A predicted Chelsea lineup shapes up as: Sanchez; James, Lacroix, Colwill, Hato; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Rogers; Joao Pedro.
Anselmino remains out through injury, while Henderson and Emegha are considered doubts. Fofana is unavailable through suspension.
Kick-off at Craven Cottage is scheduled for 8pm BST on Monday, with the match available to watch live on Sky Sports.
Based on reporting from standard-football.