Geovany Quenda is back in training with Sporting Lisbon after a foot injury that has kept the soon-to-be Chelsea player sidelined since December.
Still only 18, Chelsea confirmed the signing of 12-time Portugal U21 international Quenda a little over a year ago. He has since remained on loan at Sporting, but will finally link up with Chelsea this summer.
It comes after having a hand in 24 goals and assists in 76 senior appearances for Sporting. Impressive numbers at Quenda’s age, with Quenda voted the ninth-best teenager in world football at the moment.
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But a foot injury, picked up just before the turn of the year, has proved problematic. It has kept the winger sidelined until now, only just returning to training. Quenda even spent time at Cobham for rehab.
Quenda thanks Chelsea star Dario Essugo for his help
Now back at Sporting, Quenda will be looking to help his boyhood club during the run-in and indeed, their upcoming Champions League clash against Arsenal, with Sporting reaching the quarter-finals.
Whether he has a part to play, and whether it has come too soon, remains to be seen. Quoted by Mais Futebol this week, Quenda has thanked Dario Essugo and the Chelsea star’s family for their help.
Dario Essugo of Chelsea inspects the pitch
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
“I’m very happy to be back. I’m already training with the team and I feel great. It went well. I was with people who helped me. Dário Essugo and his family also helped me a lot,” Quenda said.
The winger has undergone surgery in London and is now back on the training pitch, ahead of an important few months for both club and Quenda personally. Hopefully, he can hit the ground running.
Essugo and Quenda have already been teammates three times
Essugo, slightly older at 21, has similarly endured injury this season and has clearly befriended Quenda. The two of them together have now recovered from injury, with Essugo slowly reintegrated at Chelsea.
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Interestingly, Quenda knew Essugo before he joined Chelsea. Indeed, Essugo also came through at Sporting, but spent most of his senior career with the Portuguese side on loan at Chaves and Las Palmas.
Only once, at the beginning of the 2024-25 season, did Essugo and Quenda share the pitch for Sporting, during a 6-1 win over Nacional. The two have also teamed up on two occasions for Portugal’s U21 side.
Hopefully, the two can continue that connection at Chelsea, with Essugo and certainly Quenda eyed as two gems that Rosenior can develop in the seasons to come. For now, Quenda is focused on Sporting.
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