Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger played the full 90 minutes as the club’s under 23s won 3-0 against Liverpool on Monday night. The German is in contention to face Norwich at the weekend.

The Blues’ medical staff will look to ensure he doesn’t suffer any adverse effects from his first full match since the back end of last season, but if all goes well he could be back in the matchday squad for the first team on Saturday.

Rudiger hasn’t started for Chelsea since April when he had to undergo surgery on a knee injury. He actually sustained the injury against Liverpool in the 2-0 defeat before attempting a comeback in the 1-1 draw versus Manchester United.

He lasted 65 minutes before breaking down once again and it was decided it was best for him to have an operation to resolve a meniscus issue in his left knee.

Callum Hudson-Odoi is back in training with the first team. The winger has been sidelined since April with an Achilles injury, and he is expected to make his comeback within the next month.

Chelsea right-back Reece James underwent ankle surgery last month to repair ligament damage, and he is likely to return within the same time frame as Hudson-Odoi. Both players will provide a huge boost to manager Frank Lampard.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is much further away from a first-team return, however, with the England international still a few months from full training due to his own Achilles problem. The only other absentee is Marco van Ginkel with the Dutchman continuing to struggle with an ACL injury.