Former Aston Villa star Dean Saunders has said that he is sad that Tammy Abraham has decided to stay with Chelsea, where he will struggle for regular gametime. The England international excelled with the Villains on loan last term and he managed to contribute 25 goals en route to their promotion from the Championship via the playoffs.

Owing to those efforts, he has managed to win over Blues boss Frank Lampard, who has given him the number nine jersey, but Saunders doubts the marksman will be able to prove himself with the west London giants, he said: “It makes me sad. He’s going to go back to Chelsea and not start. He was playing for Villa, had a massive crowd and a manger who loved him. He was starting every week and he’s never had that in his career, he’s always been a bit-part player. He’s going to go back to Chelsea and sit on the bench.”

Abraham has already experienced one Premier League season on loan with Swansea City, and the stint was a forgettable one as he managed just five goals. As such, he has plenty to prove with the Blues next term and it remains to be seen whether he can beat the competition from Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi to command a regular role upfront.

Chelsea go into the new season without the luxury of strengthening the squad, considering they have been placed under a year-long transfer embargo after breaking rules regarding the handling of minors. Still, there have been positives during pre-season with Lampard fielding a number of young players and Mason Mount has been the most impressive of the lot.

The 20-year-old has yet to make his debut for the Blues, but he has the credentials to become a top-notch player in the future after coming up with strong performances against the likes of Barcelona in pre-season. The England youth international has been the club’s top scorer during the friendly games with three goals from five matches.