The pair have already featured for Chelsea under Alonso this season and impressed for their respective countries during the international break.

Acheampong has become a key player in the England Under-21s side, and helped the Young Lions seal qualification for next year’s UEFA European Under-21 Championship with a game to spare.

Our Academy graduate has also made six appearances for the Blues this season, and Alonso feels the 20-year-old defender has shown he is ready to compete at the highest level.

‘Josh has played a few games and is ready to play,’ said our manager ahead of Bournemouth's visit to Stamford Bridge tomorrow. ‘I saw he did well with the Under-21s; I know he didn’t play the last game but he has done well.

‘He has taken a step forward. He is playing more maturely and more aggressively, and is knowing what it takes to compete in the Premier League.

‘He is on that journey as he has great potential and great qualities. He has played and he will play again.’

There was no competitive action for Estevao during the international break, but he featured in all three of the senior Brazil team’s friendlies and claimed a goal and an assist in the final game: a 4-0 win over India.

Still only 19 years old, the winger has time on his side. Alonso is carefully handling the teenager after he missed the end of last season and the summer’s FIFA World Cup due to a hamstring injury, but our manager is certain Estevao’s time will come soon.

‘It’s still early in the season, just a few games since we started. Este is feeling much better from the injury; we have seen with Brazil that he has played more.

‘The context is different when he played with the international team than in the Premier League. We know the demands of the Premier League and we know how important Este can be in some games. He will have his moments and more minutes.’

One player who didn’t travel to join up with his national team was Moises Caicedo, who remained at Cobham to continue working on his return to full fitness following injury.

Alonso has confirmed the Ecuadorian has been training well and is available for selection when we get back into Premier League action against Bournemouth, potentially providing a big boost for the Blues with his return to the line-up.

‘For sure, any team would miss a player of his quality, his importance, his weight [to the team] and his dynamic. We have missed him for sure and we are happy that we have him back,’ Xabi added.

‘He feels better and we didn’t want to take any risks against Brentford, for example. I did myself against Brighton and after I said, “Xabi, you did this wrong”. Now he feels much better.’