The 22-year-old was a regular earlier in the campaign in what is his first full season as a member of our senior squad. His performances in a blue shirt were rewarded with an England call-up and a maiden cap in November.

However, he has played just three times for us in 2020, with his start against Bournemouth last weekend his first Premier League appearance since the win at Arsenal in late December. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have been Frank Lampard’s preferred centre-back pairing this year.

‘It’s been a difficult period for me, but I’m working hard to try and get back in the team,’ stressed Tomori.

‘There is a lot of competition for places, not just in my position, so there are going to be disappointed people when they’re not playing.

‘Throughout the whole season the manager has said if you train well and show why you should be in the team, he will put you in, and then it’s up to you to try and stay in the team.

‘There have been many examples where people have come in and done well. Training is competitive and intense, and then when you get on the pitch someone is banging on the door which keeps everyone on their toes.

‘I’m just staying positive, and in the grand scheme of things the most important thing is that the team wins.’

Tomorrow the Blues have the chance to build on positive recent home results against Tottenham and Liverpool by beating Everton, in the process securing a crucial three points in the race for a top-four finish.

Tomori did not play in our defeat at Goodison Park late last year, but he is keenly aware of the threat the Toffees pose.

‘They have Dom Calvert-Lewin, who I know pretty well from England youth teams. He has been scoring a lot of goals lately. They have Richarlison, Sigurdsson, Walcott, Iwobi, Gomes, all clever players who can cause damage. We’ll have to be on our game and produce a similar performance to the Liverpool one.

‘We expect a tough game. Earlier on in the season they managed to beat us. They have a new manager now; they have had a lot of good results. But they are coming to Stamford Bridge and we want to make it difficult for them. They have good players but if we approach the game in the right way I’m sure we can get the three points.

‘We’re on a high after the Liverpool result. For us to play the way we did and beat them gives us a lot of confidence. We want to take that into the Everton game. It’s another home game, in front of our fans who I am sure will be buzzing, and it’s a chance to get three points and cement our place in the top four a bit more.’