Drogba linked up with the squad but did not play a part in Chelsea’s 2-1 pre-season friendly win over Slovenian side Olimpija Ljubljana, and Mourinho says it was as though he had never been away.
“First of all when he came, it looks like he never left the club. It was so normal, nothing new at all because he knows everybody and everybody knows him,” he told the media after the game.
“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 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 my squad with different qualities, not just as football players but also in terms of personalities. I like to have players with different personalities.
“So as a player and person, Didier is somebody we need to be strong.”
Written by Steve Milne
