Having completed over two thirds of last night’s 5-0 win at Wycombe Wanderers, Oriol Romeu has been reflecting on his first match in a Chelsea shirt since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury at Sunderland in December 2012. The Spanish midfielder spent last season on loan at Valencia in La Liga, but has now returned to Stamford Bridge ahead of the coming campaign. The 22-year-old played just over 70 minutes at Adams Park, operating alongside Marco van Ginkel during the first half and Nemanja Matic after the break, and he was delighted to be back involved. ‘The manager told me I was going to play for that long,’ he told the official Chelsea website. ‘He asked me if I was ready so I knew I was going to play 70 minutes. ‘I felt good, I was tired at the end of the game but that’s normal after a long summer and a big rest. When you come back to play it’s difficult but we played well, it was a good victory. ‘We scored five goals and didn’t concede any so that’s the main thing and we have to carry on. Even if it’s a friendly game you have to take it seriously, as if it’s for real, and that’s what we did.’ Jose Mourinho was able to give at least 45 minutes to every member of the squad he’s been working with since pre-season training began last week, with the team made up of first-team regulars, players returning from loan spells and members of the Under-21s and Under-18s. One of those, Isaiah Brown, caught the eye with a brace, the second of which was a wonderful strike, and Romeu was impressed with the performances of the youngsters, with Patrick Bamford also on target. ‘We have trained with them for the whole week and we know they are very good,’ he explained. ‘They are all fantastic players and I think Chelsea have a big future for the next five-ten years, it’s good to see them come into the side and play like that and hopefully some of them will play in the first team.’ Romeu, who signed for the Blues in the summer of 2011, looks back on his time at Valencia as a valuable learning experience, but is now eager to look forward. ‘It’s good to be back, to see my team-mates and spend some time with them,’ he said. ‘I just want to train as hard as I can, play as much as I can and do my best. That’s my philosophy and that’s how I want to do it. ‘I learned a lot, I played 16 or 17 games so it was good in the end. I’m here now to look to the future, the past is gone, I have to fight and we’ll see what happens. ‘The staff are happy with me, I’m training well and doing what I have to do, I have to keep going like this.’ He also had some kind words for his compatriot Cesc Fabregas, who joins up with his new team-mates next week, and believes the former Barcelona midfielder will be a fantastic addition to the squad. ‘He’s a top player, a world-class player and I’m sure he will help the team challenge,’ said Romeu. ‘I’m happy to see the club signing such good players and it’s good to have them here.’ http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2014/07/romeu--good-to-be-back.html
