Thomas Tuchel says Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is hungry to play for Chelsea and prove a point.
The 33-year-old has returned to England just seven months after falling out with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, which precipitated his move to Barcelona.
Now back in London after a deadline day move to Stamford Bridge, Aubameyang wants to prove his doubters wrong ahead Tuesday’s Champions League opener against Dinamo Zagreb.
“We had the opportunity to take everybody who was available to Zagreb to do our last training here, that includes Denis [Zakaria] and [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang,” Tuchel told his pre-match press conference.
“Aubameyang had a test with his mask, felt fine, trained normal, so if everything goes well today, they will both be available.”
On Aubameyang, Tuchel continued: “He’s the sort of player [to thrive in adversity], he’s very ambitious, very focused, and he’s hungry to play for us and prove a point still.
“That’s why he’s here, that’s what we felt from the first moment and he’s happily invited to prove a point tomorrow.
“Is he ready to start? Of course. But he cannot play 90 minutes, it’s about us taking a decision on how we manage the minutes. It’s clear he needs minutes to get his rhythm and fitness, so it is on us to find the solution if he comes from the bench or starts.”
