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Chelsea head coach Graham Potter has labeled Ben Chilwell an important player, hinting at a return to the starting XI for him.
Chilwell has struggled for regular playing time this season since Marc Cucurella's arrival, starting in just one Premier League game on the opening day against Everton.
He scored and assisted one goal each in the 2-1 win over West Ham United in the Blues' last match. His heroics earned the former Leicester City full-back a start in their Champions League opener against Dinamo Zagreb.
Under Graham Potter, though, he's yet to start. However, things could change for Chilwell going forward as the head coach has praised him for his attitude and performance in a recent closed-door friendly.
Speaking ahead of their league game, Potter said (via Football.London):
"I've been really impressed with him, his attitude has been fantastic. Of course, it's frustrating not to play, but he's intelligent enough to know he's had a long injury and it's about step by step getting to his full fitness. He played a behind-closed-doors game for us, 90 minutes.
He added:
"I've no doubt about him physically, it's just for him to be ready to play. I'm sure he will. He's an important member of the team, that's how I see it. I can't make any comment about anything else outside of Chelsea, but for us he's an important player."
Chelsea resume their league campaign after nearly a month at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace on Saturday, October 1.
Chelsea begin a daunting run of fixtures
Like many other top sides around Europe, Chelsea too are set to play nine games in the month of October, including six in the Premier League.
Games against Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa, Brentford, Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion are all lined up for the Blues. They will also play AC Milan twice and Red Bull Salzburg once in Europe during this run.
The west London outfit have been inconsistent on both fronts. They are languishing in seventh position in the league with just 10 points from six games and at the bottom of their Champions League group with just one point.
The Blues will have to bring their A-game or risk seeing their campaign go from bad to worse.
