Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Billy Gilmour have given Chelsea boss Frank Lampard a real selection headache.
The Blues take on Aston Villa next Sunday in their first Premier League back after the restart, before hosting Manchester City the following Thursday.
And Lampard’s side took a big step in their preparations this afternoon by facing QPR at Stamford Bridge in a pre-restart friendly.
Having beaten Reading last week, the Blues stepped it up this weekend by hammering their fellow London side 7-1.
There were goals for Olivier Giroud, Willian and Mason Mount in the rout, but the most impressive element came from Loftus-Cheek and Gilmour.
Both players bagged a brace and really pushed their credentials forward for a potential start in the Premier League next weekend.
Loftus-Cheek has had a frustrating year, spending all the season so far recovering from the Achilles’ tendon rupture he suffered in May 2019.
Before the Premier League was suspended, Loftus-Cheek had played in three U23s matches and was on the verge of a full recovery.
The only thing holding him back was match fitness, but the England international has been a big part of the build-up to the return.
Loftus-Cheek is set to battle for one of the midfield positions if Lampard plays with a three, while he can also fight for the number ten role.
Meanwhile, Gilmour picked up the man of the match awards in the matches against Liverpool and Everton before the season came to a halt.
The young Scot excelled in the middle of the park and many are expecting him to play a big part in the rest of the campaign.
Jorginho will still have a match suspended after picking up his tenth yellow card of the campaign, meaning there would be a spot to fill.
With N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic also featuring in the friendly, they will likely start the match at Villa Park.
But Gilmour’s brace and performances in his previous game mean that Lampard could well go with the 19-year-old.
