Chelsea rule out summer tour to avoid post World Cup burn-out

Blues hope to keep internationals fresh

Fans cheer for Chelsea during the pre-season friendly match between the Thailand All Stars and Chelsea at Rajamangala National Stadium on July 24, 2011 in Bangkok (Getty Images)

Chelsea are not set to go on a money-spinning foreign tour this summer as they look to avoid squad burn-out next season.

According to The Evening Standard, the Blues have decided that with a shorter pre-season due to the World Cup, they will not travel to Asia or the USA as in previous seasons but instead play a series of one off games in Europe.

Trips to North America and South East Asia have been financially rewarding and given Chelsea a great opportunity to increase their global fanbase.

Last year Chelsea went to both continents, playing seven matches and covering more than 23,000 miles.

But with the majority of their squad involved in the World Cup in Brazil, which will also delay holidays and the date players report back for training, a lighter schedule is being planned.

They did the same thing after the World Cup in 2010, with games against Crystal Palace, Ajax, Frankfurt and Hamburg before they played Manchester United in the Community Shield.

An announcement on Chelsea’s pre-season is expected later this month but with the club leading the Premier League by seven points, there is a possibility they will be involved in the annual encounter at Wembley again.

Chelsea will hope that by staying in Europe they can gain an advantage over their rivals who are still going on tours this summer. Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool are all competing in the International Champions Cup in the United States, which Chelsea played in last summer.

Tottenham are also off to the States in July to play friendlies against Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire. Arsenal have yet to announce their pre-season plans.

Meanwhile, Marco van Ginkel still faces missing out on the World Cup despite recovering from a knee ligament injury.

The Holland midfielder, who joined from Vitesse Arnhem for £9million last summer, recently returned to full training after being injured against Swindon in the League Cup in September.

Van Ginkel is desperate to resume his Chelsea career and to prove his fitness in order to earn a spot in Holland’s squad. He already has two caps and hoped the move to Stamford Bridge would enhance his chances of playing in Brazil.

However, with Chelsea involved in a tight title race and the nature of his knee problem having been so severe, it is unlikely he will be risked.

Assistant manager Steve Holland said: “The injury he had was a nasty one, an injury that 15-20 years ago finished your career. These days, with the advancements made medically, that’s not the case and you return almost as good as you were previously.