The Blues touched down in Raleigh just as the sun was setting. A short journey to the team hotel followed and the players enjoyed a meal together before heading to their rooms for the night. The hard work continues tomorrow.

For those players not selected by their countries for the June internationals, the previous two weeks were spent at Cobham. And they have been worked hard in the gym and out on the grass by Pochettino and his staff, who started their new roles at the beginning of July.

New recruits Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, and several other members of the first-team squad, returned to our training base last week and have also been put through their paces by the new coaching team.

There was one final training session at Cobham for the players to undertake on Monday morning. Then it was onto the coach and off to the airport to catch our flight across the Atlantic.

The journey lasted a little more than eight hours and afforded the players a chance to rest and recharge. Several took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep while many others watched movies to pass the time.

Pochettino will initially be overseeing a 29-man group in Chapel Hill – the full squad can be viewed here – as we prepare to take on League Two side Wrexham at the Kenan Memorial Stadium on Wednesday night.

That match can be viewed on the Official Chelsea App, and we will be bringing you all the latest updates, news, exclusive interviews and more behind-the-scenes content from the U.S as our preparations for the 2023/24 campaign continue.