The French defender took part in his first training session in months while on the Blues' pre-season tour in Austria after undergoing surgery earlier this year.
Five months ago, the 21-year-old sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury during Chelsea's draw against Manchester United. His surgery ruled him out of Euro 2016 and will still be unavailable for selection by boss Antonio Conte for the next six weeks.
However, Zouma is having major progress and is coming close to reaching his full strength.
After his first team training in months, the player expressed his eagerness to get back on the pitch.
"It was so good to be with the squad, an unbelievable feeling.
"I’ve been working alone for a while, and now I’m training, learning and improving with the guys. When you’re coming back from injury that’s all you want to do so I’m very happy. I’m working hard every day.
"I didn’t know I would be back on the training pitch by now, I thought it would be a bit later. But my knee is okay and I don’t have any pain, which is great."
The France international also admitted he is not putting too much pressure on himself regarding his availability for the Italian manager.
"I don’t know, I will need to discuss that with the manager and the medical team.
"I’m not fit enough yet but hopefully, in six weeks or a couple of months I will be, we will have to wait and see."
In addition, Zouma talked about how he has coped with his knee injury and the importance of keeping a positive mindset.
"It’s been really hard but if you’re strong mentally you can do anything.
"It’s football, lots of players have had big injuries and been out for a while.
"It’s important to stay positive in your mind and say to yourself: 'Okay, I’ve been unlucky to get a bad injury but I will come back stronger'. You have to be determined."
"I’m the type of person who doesn’t like to be negative, I always try to be positive and have a laugh and joke with the guys and my family. The time has gone quite quickly; it’s been five months, but it only feels like about two.
"I watched the Euros on TV with my family and there were a few days when I went out but generally I’ve just been working hard to get fit."
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