‘This is the first time I have started pre-season and for me this is very, very important,’ Oscar says with a smile appearing on his face. He is speaking to the official Chelsea website at the conclusion of a first full day in Canada which contained two extensive training sessions.

‘It is important to stay with the family and friends and the full holiday for me this time is very important because for five years I didn’t have that holiday, and in the last three years I played more than 200 games and this is a lot.’

Indeed Jose Mourinho highlighted back in May the potential benefit for the young playmaker, stating: ‘Oscar is a fabulous player but he’s never had a pre-season in his life. He’s always been playing in tournaments everywhere, he’s never had a rest. Now, because he’s injured he’s not going to the Copa America and I have a feeling that next year Oscar can have the same kind of evolution as [Eden] Hazard had this season.’

‘I think the same,’ the player confirms when asked about his manager’s belief that rest will do much good.

‘I want to play better and I want to score more goals and to play my best football, because I know my quality and I know for sure I can make this season better than last season, and last season was a good season because we were champions and won two competitions. I want to be champion in more competitions this season.’