Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed striker Liam Delap is on the cusp of making his long-awaited return to training.
Delap, a £30 million ($40.1 million) summer signing from Ipswich Town, picked up a hamstring injury in August which Maresca confidently predicted would sideline the 22-year-old for at least two months.
That timeline is not far off as the former Leicester City boss revealed on Tuesday that Delap is one step away from being introduced back into team training.
“Liam is very close, he is not working with us yet, he is still out, but hopefully he can start in the next days [to] take part in the session with us,” Maresca told a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League meeting with Ajax.
Delap’s impending return will come as a huge boost to a Chelsea side which is once again struggling for goals from central positions.
João Pedro, another summer signing, has not scored since the same game in which Delap went off injured, with the Englishman’s absence a potential explanation as the two players appeared to have struck up a swift rapport.
Delap, who is still waiting for his first Premier League goal for his new club, caught the eye early this season with some combative link-up play which allowed Pedro, usually starting in attacking midfield, to contribute both goals and assists. With Delap unavailable, the Brazilian has had to fill in further forwards.
Marc Guiu in Line for Increased Role Despite Delap Return
Panic over Delap’s injury saw Chelsea terminate the loan of young striker Marc Guiu with Sunderland. The decision was questioned at the time and scepticism only grew as he failed to appear in any of the first six games since his return.
Guiu has, however, come off the bench in each of the last two games. The Athletic note he held crunch talks with Maresca in search of an explanation for his lack of minutes, and the Italian assured Guiu his chance would come. He played 16 minutes against Liverpool and earned a full 45 against Nottingham Forest last time out.
“We have him, we have also Tyrique [George],” Maresca said. “He played as a No. 9 in the past, he did well.
“We trust Marc, we trust him already last year, he was always playing in the Conference [League], we also gave him some Premier League games, so we are sure in the past that we trust Marc, now he is again with us and he is going to play the games for sure.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Enzo Maresca Confirms Major Chelsea Fitness Boost Before Ajax Clash.