The midfielder signed from PSG earlier in the summer, with her rehabilitation from an anterior cruciate ligament suffered last October still ongoing.

Jean-Francois made good progress with her recovery out in the States, getting involved in team training. She explained to us just how settled she is already feeling in her new home.

‘I had a really warm welcome from the staff and the players,’ says Oriane. ‘That helped me a lot.

‘I feel good. It’s easier to speak to the French players and the staff because they are also French, so that has definitely made the experience easier.

‘I want to learn from the other players, so I’ve been speaking with and getting to know them. It has been good. Tour was busy because we had a lot of training, activities and meeting the fans, but I am loving my time with Chelsea.’

Jean-Francois has five French senior caps and has played for both major Paris clubs, often in opposition to Bompastor’s Lyon. She says our new head coach’s style is typical of French women’s football, with the focus on ‘possession and high pressure when we don’t have the ball’.

Jean-Francois is looking forward to making her mark with both ‘this game model, and the project with Sonia’.

In these first weeks of pre-season there have been key learnings for the 23-year-old, too.

‘The big difference between here and what I have experienced before is the players are much more generous with their efforts,’ she explains.

‘Sometimes in France I was waiting for the strikers to do the runs and give them the ball. Here, the players do the runs, and you have a lot of opportunities and possibilities to play the ball.’

The Blues are back in England now, with a friendly against Feyenoord next on the agenda. Jean-Francois is targeting that match on Saturday 7 September as an opportunity to get back out on the pitch. However, she remains acutely aware there is no value in rushing her recovery having been out for so long.

‘I did not wear my game shirt in America, so I’m waiting to have my first minutes with this club,’ Oriane says.

‘We still have a friendly game, so I hope to get some minutes. We agreed that because of my ACL injury that we had to be patient and keep working in a smart way to make sure that I can be ready for the beginning of the season.

‘Of course, it is hard because when you are a player and are competitive you want to be playing, but I understand we still have time. I did not play football for 10 months, so I know it’s really important to be patient and keep building step by step.’

Jean-Francois deserves for that patience to pay off, so before long we can see her doing her thing in Chelsea blue.