Highly-rated Chelsea teenager Xavier Mbuyamba was over the moon after finally getting his first invitation to train with the first team under Thomas Tuchel.
It arguably took longer than initially expected, but the 19-year-old has now had his first taste of first-team training since joining from Barcelona last summer.
In May last year, his agent Carlos Barros even revealed that during the negotiation, the Chelsea representatives were convinced that the centre-back could break into the first team in a year or two.
It has not been the case, unfortunately, as Mbuyamba picked up a serious knee injury that forced him out for eight months just weeks after his Chelsea arrival.
He had to wait until April to finally make his Chelsea debut in the 3-1 win over Southampton for the development squad in the PL2. Impressively, he also scored in that game.
It was quite surprising that he was not among those invited for the pre-season, particularly considering Chelsea were reportedly in the market for a centre-back.
At least he has now had the opportunity to showcase his talent and hopefully impress Tuchel, thanks to the international break — and he was ecstatic about it.
“A moment I’ve been working towards since joining this incredible club,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Truly blessed to be training with the first team this week.
“Lots to learn, and my motivation is on another level right now!”