James has not featured for the Blues since he suffered a hamstring injury in the draw with Brighton at Stamford Bridge on 29 December and has been in individual training in recent weeks.

His return gives the whole squad a huge boost ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley, in which Tuchel’s side will go after their fourth trophy of the German’s tenure – and his first taste of a domestic title.

With Mason Mount involved in the matchday squad on Tuesday, and Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech also both training despite being substituted against Lille, Thomas Tuchel has some key players at his disposal for this weekend's challenge of Liverpool.

Central midfield trio N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all also trained, while the likes of Timo Werner, Romelu Lukaku and Thiago Silva were also involved in the session. Callum Hudson-Odoi also returned after missing the clashes with Crystal Palace and Lille with a minor injury.

You can view the best images from a busy day at our Cobham training base below…