Rosenior finished his playing days at Brighton before becoming a coach there, while Joao Pedro spent two seasons at the Amex. Prior to that, at Watford, the Brazilian had played against a Hull City side managed by Rosenior.

So when Chelsea’s new head coach sat down to chat with Joao Pedro at Cobham - as he did with all the players - it was a reintroduction.

‘I knew him from before, I played against him when he was at Hull City and I was at Watford,’ said Joao Pedro.

‘He knew everything about me. He surprised me a little bit but when you get feedback from the manager, it’s good. He told me he wants to help me achieve what I want to, and to be better every day.

‘He wants the striker to be in the middle of the pitch to create more space for the no.10, and without the ball to run and press always,’ added Joao Pedro of his role. ‘He always wants to play with intensity.’

Joao Pedro is barely six months into his Chelsea career yet he has already played 31 games for the Blues since signing from Brighton. His brilliant finish against Brentford was his seventh goal of the Premier League season and his eighth in all competitions.

The 24-year-old says he has had mixed first full campaign at Stamford Bridge so far, but he knows there is plenty more to achieve in the coming months – on an individual and collective level.

‘My season is not bad but not great,’ said Joao Pedro. ‘I have carried on with small injury problems. I need to always try to do my best and work hard to achieve a high level.

‘I want to improve and achieve the highest level possible, because if I do that I am going to help my team-mates and help Chelsea.

‘Our target is still the same: to reach the highest possible in every competition. We need to keep working hard and in the end we will see where we finish.’