In fact, it took just four minutes after her introduction in our pre-season friendly win against Auckland to find the back of the net, the Japan international scoring with a diving header in our 7-0 win.

It’s clear that she has come on in leaps and bounds during last season’s loan at Tottenham Hotspur - her fluency in English has gone to another level and she’s displaying an even greater level of confidence on the pitch.

She’s delighted to have returned to Chelsea, but she’s also keen to give thanks to the experience she had in north London last season, too. That’s exactly where we begin our conversation when we sit down on our pre-season tour in New Zealand.

‘It was a new environment at Tottenham and a new coach with different tactics,’ she explains. ‘I liked Martin (Ho) and I learned from him as well.

‘I also learned from team-mates and staff there. It was a great time with them because it was a good experience with different training. In fact, everything was different.’

When Japan faced Australia in the Asia Cup final back in March, it was Hamano who scored the winning goal for her country. She smiles when we bring up that moment, but she quickly moves on to discuss being back at Chelsea, ready to move on to what’s now in front of her.

‘In the Asia Cup I got to play some good minutes, so I had confidence to play. It was a great moment. For me, scoring in the final was a dream come true.

‘I’m so glad to be back at Chelsea. Pre-season has been hard work, but it has been really good. The team has changed a lot with a lot of new players and there is really good communication between us all.

‘We want to get back to lifting trophies, so it has been important to create the winning culture that we need to do that.’

Another cause for excitement is the arrival of her international team-mate Manaka Matsukubo. She is delighted at the prospect of playing alongside her childhood friend and feels they will have a telepathic link-up once they are out on the pitch together.

‘I was so happy when I heard Manaka was coming!’ she grins. ‘She texted me just before the signing was official.

‘I have played with her since I was 12 or 13, so I know her really well. She is very quick, has amazing agility and a great football brain.

‘Having someone like that in the team who speaks Japanese and has the same culture as me is amazing. If we can play together, we can show what we can do for the team. The two of us are like tiki-taka. So we can do assists for each other and help the team.’