Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi opens up on "weird" injury issues

While the 21-year-old has never been regarded as an automatic choice under Thomas Tuchel, the versatile wideman had earned the German's trust throughout 2021-22.

In the absence of Reece James and Ben Chilwell, the academy graduate had stints at wing-back, including in the Club World Cup final against Palmeiras.

Hudson-Odoi supplied the cross for Romelu Lukaku's opener against the Brazilian outfit, Chelsea eventually prevailing 2-1 after extra time.

However, the attacker would play just 62 more minutes before the end of the campaign, that outing coming against Luton Town in the FA Cup on March 2.

Instead, Hudson-Odoi was ruled out with what Tuchel frequently described at press conferences as an Achilles issue, preferring not to give an exact timeframe for his recovery.

Hudson-Odoi eventually failed to make an appearance during the run-in, leading to concerns that the player had suffered an injury of similar severity to the Achilles injury that he sustained during the early stages of his career.

However, having taken part during the opening days of pre-season, Hudson-Odoi has suggested that he has overcome what he describes as "a weird" injury.

Speaking to the club's official website, Hudson-Odoi said: "It was a weird one. It was a neurological thing where I had a tweaked nerve in my back and it stemmed all the way down through my body, so it then became difficult for me to retain muscle.

"There was no power really in my legs and everything was like 'woah'. I was trying to pass the ball 10 yards but I had no power and I couldn't even do it.

"I think it was also a post-coronavirus thing from December, which I couldn't believe because it had been such a long time before. The issue started with my Achilles and then I was trying to use other parts of my body to make up for it.

"For example when I was running I wasn't running on my toes as much because my Achilles power wasn't that strong. I was trying to find another way to run and then it started affecting my back but all of it is good now."

Hudson-Odoi is expected to be part of the group which will travel to the United States for the first official fixtures of their pre-season schedule.

Chelsea are due to take on Mexican side Club America in Las Vegas on July 17.