Chelsea fans are desperate to see the return of Estevao Willian to their first team squad, however the latest update on his fitness will not fill them with optimism.
Estevao didn’t feature for the Blues after picking up a hamstring injury in the home defeat to Manchester United in April, and the issue saw him miss out on featuring at the World Cup.
The winger has undergone an intense rehabilitation programme in Brazil, with the aim being to be involved immediately in Xabi Alonso’s pre-season at Cobham and abroad.
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Estevao Willian fitness update ahead of Chelsea pre-season
However, Liam Twomey believes it will not be until the Premier League season is already underway before Chelsea fans see him fit and thriving again.
He said on the London is Blue podcast: “He appears to have opted not to have surgery and to manage this without going down that path.
“That is certainly a viable way to do it, depending on the specifics of his injury. But he needs to be loaded very, very carefully as he comes back.
“Again, the little clips that come out from him in Brazil, show that he seems to be regaining his range of motion slowly.
“He doesn’t appear to be full-blown running, let alone sprinting yet. That could be a little while. I’d be surprised if he was back for the start of pre-season, but Chelsea could potentially have him back in something close to full-form in the first half of the season, shall we say.
“It’s very difficult to put a clear timeframe on it at this stage, but they’ll just want to make sure that once he’s back, he’s really back.”
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Thoughts?
Brazil desperately missed Estevao at the World Cup
Estevao’s absence at the World Cup was a big blow to Carlo Ancelotti, who had relied on the Chelsea man throughout his tenure in charge of the nation.
Brazil were dumped out of the competition by Norway in the Round of 16, and looked completely out of attacking ideas despite the quality players they had at their disposal.
Ancelotti was also left to regret his decision to not take Joao Pedro with him after a season where he had contributed to 29 goals at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea fans will be delighted that Estevao didn’t push himself to be involved though, with it clearly coming far too early for him and risking his fitness going into the new domestic campaign.
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