Chelsea's fittest player given round of applause after destroying team-mates in the dreaded bleep test... as fans name first team star who will struggle to get into starting line-up because of him

• e-mail

Chelsea's fittest player was given a round of applause after winning the dreaded bleep test. 

The Blues endured a difficult season last term under Mauricio Pochettino having finished sixth in the Premier League table and without silverware. 

Enzo Maresca was appointed the new manager last month and preparations for the season season have got underway. 

The Chelsea players returned for pre-season earlier this tweek and as tradition for most club, they were put through the bleep test so fitness levels can be assessed. 

The test requires players to run 20m back and forth across a marked track keeping time with beeps.

Chelsea have started preparations for the new season after returning for pre-season this week

The Blues' players were put through their paces with the dreaded annual bleep test

As the test goes on, the time between beeps gets shorter and participants are made to run faster. 

If they failed to reach the marked lines in time, an initial warning is given, with a second one ending the test for the individual. 

Malo Gusto was the last man standing for Chelsea's bleep test and was applauded by all his team-mates. 

Blues fans heaped praise on the 21-year-old, with some claiming Reece James will struggle to get in the team because of him. 

One said: 'Man’s ready for the season James watch out,' while another posted, 'James has a big job keeping Gusto out of the team'

A third wrote: 'He's in shape already & I'm feeling the vibes in training. Everything feels different.' 

Malo Gusto was the last man standing for the bleep test and was applauded by team-mates

Gusto was one of Chelsea's standout performers last season having joined from lyon last summer. 

The Frenchman was a regular starter for the west London club after stepping in for James, who was sidelined for a large part of the campaign.