Chelsea star makes surprise training return ahead of Hull City tie despite injury scare
In this story:
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella made a surprising return to the training pitch on Thursday after nursing a hamstring injury.
In Wednesday's press conference, Blues head coach Liam Rosenior ruled Cucurella out of the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Hull City on Friday due to a hamstring injury.
He said it was "too early" for the Spain international, who was still waiting for the result of his scans at the time.
Cucurella, who started in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Leeds United on Tuesday, was forced off at half-time after he felt something in his hamstring.
Fortunately for Chelsea, it was likely a minor issue, given that Cucurella was allowed to join the team's full training on Thursday.
Following this positive update, Rosenior could change his mind and include Cucurella in the squad for Friday's FA Cup clash, but it makes more sense to allow Jorrel Hato, who is due some minutes on the pitch, the opportunity to impress.
Reece James, who already missed the last three games, also took part in the session and could hopefully make his return against Hull.
Tosin Adarabioyo and Romeo Lavia were also present, although in their cases, it remains unclear whether they would be involved for the FA Cup game.
They have not played for quite some time - almost a month for Adarabioyo and over three months for Lavia - so Chelsea would understandably be more cautious with how they handle their returns.
Mamadou Sarr was also involved in training, and he is expected to make his first appearance for Chelsea this season.
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.