It was the kind of loud cheer of approval that Jamie Gittens will be hoping to hear a lot more frequently from Chelsea fans this season.As the players finished signing autographs following the first training session of their pre-season tour, one young fan ran onto the pitch at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney, attempting to add at least one more to his collection.An efficient steward initially stopped his progress to the sound of loud boos from the 5,289 spectators who had paid $A15 (£8; $10) for the privilege to attend. However, the kid showed great persistence to still reach Gittens. The 21-year-old winger, who had been talking to The Athletic and other members of the English media, stopped chatting to fulfil the request. The response from the supporters in the stands was the noisiest heard during the entire session, no small feat given Cole Palmer and Estevao had been showing off their skills.Gittens did not have much of a chance to garner such an enthusiastic response in his first campaign at the club, having joined from Borussia Dortmund in July 2025 for an initial £48.5million. The winger made 27 appearances, but he tore his hamstring against West Ham United on January 31 and has not played a competitive game since. When you join for such a large amount of money, making 12 starts (only five in the Premier League) is not the way you want things to go.Fortunately, Gittens has put those painful memories behind him and scored in Chelsea’s friendlies against Crawley Town and Bromley Town, both staged behind closed doors in the week before they flew to Australia.“I’m feeling much better, more confident now,” he said with a big smile. “My body is better. Hamstrings are good, so I’m just waiting for the season to start. I was training every day (during his summer break), in Portugal, in Marbella; training myself to the maximum to get ready for the season.Can Jamie Gittens Succeed At Chelsea?“It (last season) was hard because this was the first muscle injury I have had. I have never had hamstring injuries before. It was a challenge at the start but I am better now.“This is such a big club. I want to succeed here. I need to show people what I can do. I will keep working hard. I have shown glimpses, small bits. But this season will be a good season.”Fans who watched Chelsea’s 4-3 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup nine months ago saw some of those “glimpses”. Gittens registered two assists and scored one of Chelsea’s best goals of the season — a fierce shot from outside the area that flew in off the post.