Chelsea duo spotted in training ahead of approaching injury returns
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Two Chelsea players, Liam Delap and Dario Essugo, were spotted in training on Friday despite being expected to miss Saturday's trip to Newcastle United.
Delap sustained a shoulder injury during Chelsea's goalless draw with Bournemouth earlier this month.
While the scans showed no fracture in his shoulder, he was initially estimated to be out for about a month.
The recovery apparently went smoother than expected, and speaking on Friday, Maresca confirmed that Delap could be back in the squad for the Aston Villa game on December 27.
"We have probably Liam Delap and Estevao Willian, probably both available for next game against Aston Villa," the Chelsea head coach said in his press conference.
"We said since (Delap's) injury that we didn't know exactly for how long, but he's progressing very well."
Tosin & Delap #CFC pic.twitter.com/LVMRSZLfCW
— CFC Pics (@Mohxmmad) December 19, 2025
Surprisingly, the 22-year-old was already seen on the training pitch on Friday afternoon.
Dario Essugo was also present in training and could hopefully make his Premier League debut soon.
The former Sporting CP midfielder sustained a thigh injury that required surgery earlier this season, and recently suffered a minor setback.
Dario Essugo & Jorrel Hato #CFC pic.twitter.com/D2bLCGp0zU
— CFC Pics (@Mohxmmad) December 19, 2025
Maresca did not mention anything about the young midfielder's imminent return, so it remains unclear whether he will make the trip up north.
Marc Cucurella, who was suspended for mid-week's Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Cardiff City, also took part in the preparation for Newcastle, as expected.
🔵🔵🔵 pic.twitter.com/8EbXxPHLPA
— CFC Pics (@Mohxmmad) December 19, 2025
The boys #CFC pic.twitter.com/ME81lqE1YW
— CFC Pics (@Mohxmmad) December 19, 2025
Estevao was unfortunately absent, although, like Delap, he has been ruled out for Saturday's trip to Newcastle United due to an injury.
The players involved in the session were full of smiles, having recently bounced back to winning ways with consecutive victories over Everton and Cardiff, after a four-game winless streak.
Having made 11 changes in the line-up against Cardiff, Maresca is expected to revert to his most trusted starting 11, with some slight changes due to Moises Caicedo's return.
Chelsea currently sit fourth in the Premier League table, and should be the favourites for the trip to 12th-placed Newcastle.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.