Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Dario Essugo has returned to the Chelsea training pitch for the first time on Friday after sustaining a thigh injury in September.
It has been over 11 weeks since the 20-year-old sustained a thigh injury whilst on international duty with Portugal Under-21s.
Essugo, unfortunately, had to undergo surgery, which has so far prevented him from making his Premier League debut.
He joined Chelsea from Sporting CP on June 2 after signing an eight-year deal with the club.
The defensive midfielder made his first appearance for the Blues with a brief cameo in the win over LAFC in the Club World Cup.
He then made two more appearances as a late substitute in the competition against Esperance and Palmeiras.
Essugo made the bench in Chelsea’s opening three Premier League matches, but did not get the chance to make his debut in the competition before sustaining the thigh injury.
Speaking in Friday’s press conference, Maresca delivered a positive update on Essugo’s participation in training.
“No. We have also Dario Essugo, he took part in the session this morning,” the Italian said when asked about the latest team updates.
“So, good news for both.”
By both, Maresca was referring to Essugo and Cole Palmer, who is confirmed to be ready to play in Sunday’s Premier League derby against Arsenal.
It will likely take some time before Essugo is fit enough to play competitively, but his return would be a huge boost for Chelsea’s midfield department.
Since Romeo Lavia’s unfortunate injury in the draw against Qarabag, Maresca has had to rotate between Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, and Andrey Santos, alongside two right-backs, Reece James and Malo Gusto, for the central midfield roles.
Asked about Essugo’s potential return date earlier this month, Maresca could not give a satisfying answer.
“I don’t know, January, December, January… Not sure yet, but we are already in November.”
