Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Antonio Rudiger and Reece James trained for Chelsea on Tuesday ahead of this week's clash with Manchester United. James missed the win against West Ham United at the weekend with a recurring injury problem. Meanwhile, Rudiger has been missing since the FA Cup semi-final win against Crystal Palace recently.
The Blues head coach, while revealing the positive news about Rudiger and James, also confirmed that Mateo Kovacic is still not ready to return to action. "Kova will still be out, and Ben Chilwell will still be out. Callum still out," Tuchel said.
"Toni & Reece James in training. We have another training, so hopefully, they can give us the green light. Same with Andreas, as he felt sick. Ross Barkley is sick as well."
READ MORE: What Chelsea's next owner must give Thomas Tuchel with summer transfer window refresh required
Chelsea will be looking for their first Premier League victory against United at Old Trafford since almost nine years ago. With United being somewhat out-of-sorts at the moment, Tuchel was pressed on whether it was a good time to play against Ralf Rangnick's men.
"It's always a good time for a win, no matter if you won the last match or the last two against the opponent," the Chelsea head coach replied. "It's always the next match. It just shows that it's not easy, and these kinds of streaks exist in football.
"Manchester United are that type of opponent for us, but we have all the respect for the history and the occasion and the quality in general at Man United. We will see what questions are asked, what the game demands, and how the momentum in the game shifts or not.
"It's not now or never. They are struggling with results recently, but we prepare all the time to have the 'now or never' feeling.
"For me, as a big fan of the Premier League, it's a big match, I would always watch it. So, to be a part of it is really nice."
