It was late into Monday evening that the Chelsea travelling party were due to set from London – and head coach Enzo Maresca, his staff, and the Blues players were in good spirits as they boarded.

Among those were Reece James and Ben Chilwell in addition to summer arrivals Tosin Adarabioyo and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

The tour will provide that duo – and also fellow new arrivals Renato Veiga and Marc Guiu – the opportunity to bond with their new team-mates, an experience the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku enjoyed on our last trip Stateside.

It's straight to work for the Blues squad on day one in America but first, sit back and enjoy a selection of images from the team's journey to the U.S.