Chelsea coach Antonio Conte will not count Michy Batshuayi as a precious new signing this summer but he is playing like one.

The Belgium international looks a different player in pre-season compared to the one who was largely ignored by Conte last term.

He has four goals in two friendly matches — he started with a brace against Fulham and added a more impressive one in Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Arsenal in Beijing on Saturday.

Batshuayi’s timing could not be better and his passionate celebrations at the Bird’s Nest Stadium gave the impression he knew it, too.

Diego Costa is leaving the club and while Alvaro Morata has been brought in to replace the Spaniard, Conte’s bid to buy Swansea striker Fernando Llorente to operate as first choice back-up is by no means guaranteed.

This has given Batshuayi, who started just one League game following a £33.1million switch from Marseille a year ago, a window of opportunity.

His Belgium and Chelsea team-mate, Thibaut Courtois, has backed him to take the chance.

He told Standard Sport: “With Diego scoring a lot of goals last season, Michy didn’t get a lot of appearances.

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“Maybe he didn’t always do what the manager asked and the manager is very demanding when it comes to the strikers.

“But Michy knows that Diego is leaving the club and he has a moment to prove himself. He is training well, doing what the manager asks and is scoring goals.

“For him it’s good. He needs to show that mentality every day in training and in every game. Michy is a top striker, he showed that in Marseille and with the national team. He has shown in the few minutes he’s had at Chelsea, he has always done well. I hope he can build on that.”

As far as foundations go, scoring the winning goal against West Brom in May which clinched Chelsea the Championship provides some platform for Batshuayi to succeed.

However, many will dismiss the notion, given Morata has now joined up with the squad in Singapore following his club-record £58m move from Real Madrid and is clearly going to be one of the first names on the team-sheet under Conte.

Also, despite Batshuayi’s performance against Arsene Wenger’s men at the weekend, the Chelsea manager didn’t exactly speak about him in glowing terms afterwards.

But Courtois thinks the 23-year-old will not be negatively affected on either score and that he can pose a challenge to Morata.

He said: “Michy is a good striker so if he keeps scoring there is no reason to change. Obviously he knows that in pre-season he has been the first option so far.

“A new player always has to fit into the team. Alvaro is coming in now but he has to adapt to our system, so maybe Michy has a slight advantage, although he still has to do well.

“It’s good that Morata is coming in. He’s been training with Real Madrid [this month] and maybe he will be able to play against Bayern or Inter Milan in Singapore this week. That’s good. He needs to feel our way of playing because it’s different to Real Madrid.

“But Michy believes in himself. He will always be remembered as the guy who gave us the Premier League title against West Brom. It will always be special for him.

“I don’t think it gave him more confidence because he is the kind of guy who believes he belongs in the squad. He works hard in training, he never complains and that is a good aspect.”

It is understandable that Courtois wants to speak in glowing terms about a Belgium team-mate but he is just as supportive of Morata’s ability to make an impact at Stamford Bridge.

The Spaniard, 24, is Chelsea’s new record signing and that will inevitably bring a lot of pressure and expectation — just ask the previous owner of the accolade, Fernando Torres.

Courtois has seen Morata up close, having faced him while on loan at Atletico Madrid between 2011-14, and has no doubts about his mental strength or qualities.

When asked if Morata can cope with the scrutiny of being Chelsea’s most expensive purchase, the goalkeeper said: “Yes. He came through the youth set up at Real Madrid, then went to Juventus and returned to Real Madrid again so he has already had a lot of pressure.

“If he can handle it there, score a lot of goals, I have no doubt he can do it here, too.

“He is a very good striker. He knows how to position himself well, has great technical ability. When he did get a chance to play last season, he scored [20 goals in all competitions]. He will give us a lot of goals.”

Should Morata and Batshuayi find the net regularly for Chelsea in 2017-18, then Costa will not be missed at all.