10 wonderkids Mauricio Pochettino is providing the opportunity to breakthrough at Chelsea

Pre-season training is well underway at Chelsea, albeit with a number of stars still left to return to Cohbam. The Blues' internationals are all still to return but the hardwork is already underway under the eyes of Mauricio Pochettino and his team, with only another seven days before the tour of the United States begins.

The likes of Noni Madueke and Levi Colwill will not join the group until then, while others are set to join over the course of the next seven days. However, Pochettino has found plenty of information to take on board already and has consistently spoken of providing no excuses for his side, in his short time at the club.

The former Spurs boss has been ambitious from the outset with his training sessions and hopes to set a platform for the season.

He explained: ‘Right now, we need to be competitive at the training ground. That is where things start. If we are not competitive there, we are not going to arrive where we need to be. I don’t want to give excuses for the players by saying we need time to rebuild and time to work.

«There are no excuses. We have to work hard to manage and drive [the players] forward in the way that we want. The competition doesn’t wait for anyone and we have to be ready, that much is clear.»

Those standards will not have dropped despite a number of youngsters having been involved thus far, and regardless of circumstance they will have the opportunity to impress Pochettino. Perhaps, some will have the opportunity to earn a place on the pre-season tour.

Mauricio Pochettino has already made pre-season squad decision as Chelsea plan Levi Colwill talk

Teddy Sharman-Lowe has been involved at Cobham with the Blues lacking goalkeepers to kick off pre-season following Edouard Mendy's departure