Levi Colwill was back in Chelsea's squad for the first time this season and was named on the bench for Chelsea Vs Nottm Forest after 9 long months of rehab from an ACL injury.
Colwill picked up the injury in the very first training session of preseason, then spent about nine months out of action before returning to training a few weeks ago and making himself available again.
Chelsea started teenage attacker Jesse Derry, but their bench was built almost entirely around defence. Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens and Pedro Neto were all absent from it, and Liam Delap was the only attacker among a substitute list that also included a goalkeeper, two centre backs, three full backs and two defensive midfielders.
The shape of the bench says enough about where Chelsea are right now. With several forward options unavailable, the source said the final-day trip to Sunderland could be the likeliest opening for Colwill to finally get minutes, after a return that had looked a long way off when he went down on day one of preseason.
For Colwill, the significance is simple: he is back in the conversation at last. For Chelsea, the question now is not whether he has recovered, but how quickly they decide to trust him again.
