Raheem Sterling’s three-word message which will delight Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino

Raheem Sterling is relishing Chelsea’s return to pre-season and ready to hit the ground running ahead of their tour of the United States later this month.

The 28-year-old, who arrived from Man City last summer for £47.5 million, scored nine goals in 38 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions during his first year at Stamford Bridge.

It was a difficult year for Sterling and the whole of the Chelsea squad in what was a chaotic and challenging campaign on and off the pitch, which saw the Blues see four different names – Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard – sit in the dugout.

Chelsea will now be managed by Mauricio Pochettino following his appointment last month on an initial two-year deal, with the option of a further year.

He took his first session at the club’s Cobham training ground on Tuesday after arriving for work on Monday, with the Argentine carrying out his media duties in his opening hours.

During his opening interview with Chelsea’s in-house media team, Pochettino warned his players he wanted full commitment from them, stating: “We need to be a team that shows togetherness, cares about the club, cares about the fans, and that fights until the end for the badge. That’s the most important thing.

“The fans need to feel that all the players involved in the game are going to die for the club. That is the most important thing to create this good feeling and for sure feel proud of each other.”

The squad has already seen an overhaul with some big name departures, including Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Kai Havertz and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. More will follow too.

But Sterling will be sticking around and took to social media to showcase his intent of wanting to get into top condition ahead of their Premier League opener against Liverpool on August 13.

“No days off,” wrote Sterling.