Chelsea's winners & losers from September international break

Before the international break, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted he hoped to use the time to work closely with a smaller squad and bring a number of his injured players back to full fitness.

Chelsea had plenty of stars jetting off around the globe during September's internationals, with several standing out from the crowd and others leaving with a bitter taste in their mouths.

Here are Chelsea's winners and losers from the September break.

Winner - Cole Palmer

Still waiting for his senior call-up, Palmer has firmly established himself as a key player for England Under-21s.

The £45m man flashed the potential which convinced Chelsea to splash the cash on him as he grabbed a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win over Luxembourg, working well alongside fellow Blue Noni Madueke.

After a disappointing debut against Nottingham Forest, Palmer should have a little more confidence ahead of his return to club action.

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Loser - Levi Colwill

Colwill did nothing wrong during the international break because he wasn't given the chance to do anything at all.

On what was his first call-up to the England squad, Colwill went unused across both games, surprisingly failing to see any minutes even though the Three Lions ended the week with a friendly game against Scotland.

It's early days for the 20-year-old, whose best is definitely yet to come, but it will have been a little frustrating.

Winner - Enzo Fernandez

Fernandez is a regular goalscorer for his country and was back on the score sheet again in September.

After lining up opposite new teammate Moises Caicedo and Ecuador, Fernandez put in a thoroughly impressive showing in Argentina's 3-0 win over Bolivia, tapping home from close range to open the scoring.

It's not hard to see why Pochettino wants to play Fernandez further forward at club level.

Loser - Romeo Lavia

Left out of the Belgium team to work on his fitness, Lavia appears to have taken a step in the wrong direction.

The midfielder limped out of training midway through the international break with what appears to be an ankle injury and reports suggest he could be facing a pretty significant spell on the sidelines as a result.

The wait for a Chelsea debut goes on.

Winner - Kendry Paez

There may be some fans out there who aren't sure who this is. If you don't know, you better get to know. Chelsea struck a deal to sign Paez for close to £17m earlier this year and the Blues are now waiting patiently for him to turn 18... in 2025.

In the meantime, fans will have to settle for watching the 16-year-old strut his stuff in Ecuador. He made his debut in a 2-1 win over Uruguay, becoming the second-youngest debutant in the History of South American international Football. The youngest? A certain Diego Maradona, whose record he would have broken during the last break if visa issues had not said otherwise.

It wasn't just a cameo outing either. Paez started the game and managed 70 minutes of what was a competitive World Cup qualifier, and he even bagged the winning assist.

Loser - Mykhailo Mudryk

Up against an English audience which has already been giving him plenty of stick, Mudryk failed to impress in Ukraine's 1-1 draw with the Three Lions.

He even picked up a knock late in the game and was forced off in the dying embers, although it didn't stop him from a 32-minute outing in the 2-1 defeat to Italy three days later.

The pressure continues to ramp up on Mudryk.

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