Chelsea handed surprise injury boost as 22-year-old returns to Cobham training ahead of Newcastle- sources

Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile has re-joined team training ahead of the Premier League game against Newcastle on Monday night, LondonWorld has been told. 

The 22-year-old French defender hasn't played for the club since they beat Aston Villa in the FA Cup and was expected to be out for at least a month, but he's made a surprise return to the team ahead of Monday night's Premier League game. 

Last week, Badiashile was spotted by LondonWorld working on his own at Cobham ahead of Mauricio Pochettino's press conference and sources have now confirmed he's back to squad training with the club expected to provide an injury update on Friday afternoon.

His return to fitness coincides with Thiago Silva, who also returned to the squad at Brentford but was left on the bench for the entire duration of the game. Pochettino having both Silva and Badiashile fit will give him a chance to generate competition and possibly give Axel Disasi who has featured the most some rest going into the crucial part of the campaign. 

Both Chelsea and Newcastle are desperate for points and could slip further down the table by the time they meet on Monday night. European spots are still within grasp for both teams but they will have to start putting points on the table consistently if they are to meet their targets at the end of the campaign.

Chelsea have won only 10 of their 26 league games with manager Pochettino coming under increasing pressure after they could only draw away at Brentford. Four points separate Chelsea in 11th and Newcastle in eight on the Premier League table.