Chelsea manager Frank Lampard watched his side at Stamford Bridge for the first time since March as they played in an intra-squad friendly behind closed doors, where Ruben Loftus-Cheek returned to action and stole the show.
The midfielder had been absent for 13 months with a horror achilles injury had his first taste of a senior football match since last May and marked his return with a goal.
The 24-year-old played in the club’s home kit alongside Pedro, Tammy Abraham and Willian as the opposing Chelsea stars wore the white away kit.
Lampard brought along his whistle as he officiated the match ahead of his sides first Premier League match back against Aston Villa on June 21.
Both teams appeared to be evenly matched, with players who were struggling for minutes before the lockdown getting to test their fitness on the club’s home ground.
Christian Pulisic played against Loftus-Cheek, as he prepares himself for league action after spending much of the season sidelined with injury.
Whilst the Blues players got their sweat on at the Bridge, their new addition Timo Werner played for RB Leipzig against bottom of the table Paderborn in the Bundesliga.
Werner claimed an assist but failed to get on the scoresheet as Leipzig conceded a 92nd minute equaliser for their eleventh draw of the campaign.
The German will cost the Premier League side £52million as the 24-year-old rejected Manchester City after holding talks with Lampard last week.
Liverpool were frontrunners for Werner’s signature for quite some time, before Chelsea swooped in for the striker. Whist Chelsea have not made a formal offer yet, according to RB Leipzig’s managing director, the German looks Chelsea-bound this summer.
SOURCE:- allfootballapp
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