Mourinho: It feels like Drogba never left Chelsea

The 36-year-old has returned to Stamford Bridge one a one-year deal after leaving in 2012 and the manager, who brought him to the club 10 years ago, is thrilled with his comeback

Jose Mourinho has hailed Didier Drogba's return to Chelsea and expects the striker to have a big impact this season.

The Cote d'Ivoire international penned a one-year deal last Friday following the expiry of his Galatasaray contract, after originally enjoying an eight-year spell at Stamford Bridge between 2004 and 2012.
Drogba hit 157 goals in 341 appearances during his first stint and is a firm fans' favourite, having scored a late equaliser followed by the winning spot-kick as Chelsea won the Champions League in his last match.

The 36-year-old joined Chelsea's squad on Sunday as they defeated Olimpija 2-1 in a pre-season friendly, but did not play a role in the match and Mourinho is thrilled to be able to call upon Drogba again.

"First of all when he came, it looks like he never left the club," Mourinho told reporters. "It was so normal, nothing new at all because he knows everybody and everybody knows him.

"He was ever present even when he wasn't here. Chelsea belonged to him, even in the last two years when he was away playing in a Galatasaray and Shanghai [Shenhua] shirt.

"So it looks like he just went for a short holiday and came back, so everything is normal. But yes, I think we need him. We need him as a player for our squad to be the way I like.

"I like a squad with different qualities, not just as football players but also in terms of personalities. I like to have players with different personalities. As a player and person, Didier is somebody we need to be strong."

Chelsea confirmed on Monday that Drogba will wear the No.15 shirt, the same as during his first spell, with Mohamed Salah taking No.17 after Eden Hazard opted to take the No.10 shirt for the new season.