Fikayo Tomori has been called up to Gareth Southgate's England squad after an incredible resurgence with AC Milan in Italy.
Milan conceded the joint least amount of league goals, just 31, as Tomori's team strutted to the title ahead of arch-rivals Inter, and he was the lynchpin on which Stefano Pioli's side built their title-winning campaign. He is now a fan-favourite at one of the world's most historic clubs and was central to the title-winning season for the Rossoneri.
However, a short time ago, the young Englishman's career was in a rut with his Chelsea appearances dwindling, falling out of favour at his boyhood club despite being loved as one of Chelsea's 'Cobham Crew'.
It is a remarkable resurgence for a defender who was cast aside by Frank Lampard in January 2021, allowed to head to Italy on loan before securing a permanent move last summer. Blues fans may be disappointed another academy product is pulling up trees somewhere else.
Who is Fikayo Tomori?
Canadian-born, Oluwafikayomi Oluwadamilola Tomori was also eligible to play for Nigeria because of his parents, but moved to England at the age of just one and grew up in Kent.
Before switching his allegiance to the Three Lions, Tomori captained Canada's Under-20s to a win over England against a side that featured the likes of Marcus Rashford.
Now he's enjoying life in Milan, is already fluent in Italian, and based in the fashion capital of southern Europe, Tomori isn't too keen on a move back to Stamford Bridge anytime soon. He said to Sky Sports after his loan move to Milan: "Personally I always liked the idea of living in a different country, it wasn't much of a shock mentally, I always thought it would be nice. I'm enjoying it, obviously I can't see my family as much but luckily we have FaceTime so I can keep in touch."
Why did Tomori join AC Milan?
Tomori joined AC Milan in January 2021 after falling out of favour at Chelsea under former boss Frank Lampard.
Some poor performances after a promising start meant the then-23-year-old was sent to Italy on loan with an option to buy for £25million and an extra £5million in add-ons. Had he waited a few more weeks, he would have seen Lampard depart and Thomas Tuchel arrive.
His loan at Milan was extremely successful and they decided to buy him permanently during the summer of 2021. Some Chelsea fans were left wondering why a promising player was allowed to leave despite an ageing captain in Cesar Azpilicueta and contract concerns over Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
All three are now likely to leave Chelsea on a free transfer, and the Blues also have Thiago Silva, 37, in the twilight of his career.
Tormori had even made an excellent start to regular football with the Blues as Lampard put in the young stars after a transfer ban was forced upon the club.
A screamer strike away against Wolves for his first goal for the club and a commanding performance in the Champions League against Ajax was not enough to earn him a permanent place.
But he has grown in stature in Italy and is now set to add to his two England caps, his debut having come against Kosovo in 2019.
