Photo: Ronnie Macdonald / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Danny Welbeck and Emmanuel Emegha could make their Chelsea debuts in the Carabao Cup second-round tie against Luton Town, manager Xabi Alonso has confirmed. Henderson, however, will need more time to reach full fitness.
Neither forward featured in Chelsea's final pre-season friendly against Real Sociedad, and Welbeck was only an unused substitute in the Premier League opener at Craven Cottage.
"Danny and Emma, yes [they will be in contention to face Luton]," Alonso said. "Jordan will take a little bit longer. Let's see. I'm not a doctor and I don't have the data. We need to wait until we know more."
Alonso struck an optimistic note about the squad's overall development, pointing to the limited time some players have had to adapt to his system.
"Most of the teams will get better and better in the weeks ahead and with more games," he said. "We have some players that have just been back for two weeks, they are in good shape but they will get better."
The Chelsea manager acknowledged that rival sides with more established setups hold a short-term advantage, but said improvement over the course of the season is expected.
"As I said in another press conference, I think that we started our season Monday and the way we will be playing in January will be different. And I think it's going to be better, and the next year will be even better."