Chelsea FC has seemingly been handed a boost regarding the fitness of Geovany Quenda. Earlier this week, the former Sporting Lisbon youngster was a notable absentee from the 27-player squad for the pre-season trip to Australia and Asia. The Portugal Under-21 international was joined in being omitted from the group by fellow new signing Emanuel Emegha.

In the case of Emegha, it is claimed by The Athletic's Simon Johnson that the Dutchman will not resume pre-season for a number of weeks. However, the same journalist reports positive news regarding Quenda's fitness, indicating that he will be in a position to return to the group for the trip to Asia.

After two games in Australia, the second of which takes place on August 1, Chelsea will then prepare for a game against Juventus in August. As it stands, Quenda is expected to be part of the group that will train for that fixture.

Chelsea has a total of four pre-season encounters scheduled between August 5 and August 15, with Quenda's target likely to be to gain minutes in the latter games. This is an important development for manager Xabi Alonso, who has allegedly deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation in two behind-closed-doors friendlies. Quenda could be considered for a wing-back role when Alonso opts for a 3-4-2-1 formation, making it crucial for the young star to have adequate preparation time during pre-season to adapt to that role.