The 46-year-old has taken some time away from the game after undergoing an emergency hysterectomy procedure following a long battle with endometriosis. After marking a decade in charge of the Blues earlier this year, it was a shocking interruption to her season and one that has opened up a bigger conversation about women’s health in sport and wider society.

Speaking to the media at Cobham for the first time since her operation, Hayes reflected on her convalescence at home and the challenges of spending time away from the training ground in the middle of a hectic campaign.

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‘It’s nice to be back,’ she said with a smile. ‘I’ve had six weeks of recovering and I’m still recovering. I still think it will take probably through the rest of this year to return to complete normality but I’m just grateful to feel a lot better.

‘I’m happy to come back to a team that’s been doing really well in my absence and to be around the players and staff again.’

In her absence, Denise Reddy and Paul Green have taken charge of team affairs, with Hayes organising a direct line of communication to the dugout from her sofa.

The experience has not been as frustrating as some might have expected, with the Blues boss eager to point out she was relaxed and confident with those on the ground.

‘I didn’t mind it,’ she said of working remotely. ‘I had an earpiece with Denise and only in the Man United game did it stop working in the second half, but I was happy with the way the team was playing.

‘I feel so confident with the work my entire staff are doing that sometimes those conversations were just interactions between Denise and I.

‘She’s done a superb job anyway without me being there, along with Paul. We’ve got such an experienced group that it’s been comfortable for me to heal without the stresses.’

The Blues have won eight in a row in all competitions and Hayes’s return could not be better timed, with Spurs the visitors to a sell-out Stamford Bridge on Sunday lunchtime.

Our London rivals are nine points behind us in fifth place heading into the weekend and the prospect of welcoming them to SW6 in front of so many supporters this weekend is one that greatly enthuses the returning manager.

‘Telling my doctors that my first game back was in front of 40,000, they were like “really?”, she added. ‘I’m about ready for that though and the club have done so well to be able to sell out, as many clubs have done in the WSL.

‘I’m just really looking forward to seeing the fans and to get the chance more importantly to be with my team again. There’s no better place to play than Stamford Bridge.’

General admission tickets have sold out but you can still be at the Bridge on Sunday with a Club Chelsea ticket, available from just £10. The game will also be broadcast live in the UK on BBC One, kick-off 1pm.