Make no mistake, some gruelling fitness work to get the players into top shape has been a clear focus of the pre-season trip to the USA, with head coach Mauricio Pochettino pushing his squad hard ahead of his first campaign in the Chelsea dugout.

So much so that even matchdays are not exempt from fitness-based sessions, as the players were put through their paces on the training pitch before kick-off against Wrexham in our opening game of this tour. Not that it seemed to hurt our energy levels, as we romped to a 5-0 victory over our Welsh opponents.

'Pre-season is going well. There is a lot of running, a lot of working on the training pitch,’ acknowledged Mudryk. ‘I feel good.'

Mudryk sat out that first game in America, following his late return to training after spending a busy summer on international duty with Ukraine, first setting up two goals for the senior side in Euros qualifying, before joining the younger age group and registering another three assists to help his country reach the semi-finals of the European Under-21 Championship.

It didn’t take him long to get up to speed, though, judging by his performance after coming into Pochettino’s side for the start of the Premier League Summer Series on Sunday. The winger was introduced at half-time against Brighton and 15 minutes later he found the back of the net for his first Chelsea goal, giving us a lead we would hold until the final whistle of a thrilling 4-3 win.

It was some strike, too, combining well with Nicolas Jackson and showing his skill before firing in from the edge of the box. Along with our record of two wins and nine goals from our first two matches of pre-season, it was put to Mudryk that confidence must be growing for himself and the team.

However, he insists it is the work going on away from the stadium which is adding the most belief within the ranks, prime among which is the development of the team’s style and system, along with the players’ roles within it.

‘Not everything depends on what happens in a match,’ pointed out the 22-year-old. ‘It’s more an effect of your mentality. When you feel confident and you feel the coach trusts you, you play another game without any doubts.

‘From the opening days of pre-season, I started to understand what the coach wants from us – and from me. That makes it easier to enjoy the game with my team-mates.’

Those words are almost as promising as the two victories in the USA, as it is usually a good sign when players are enjoying their football, meaning their smiles are often transferred from the pitch to the stands before too long.