An enigma during his first season with Chelsea, Malouda will be desperate to prove that the impressive performances he turned in at Lyon are not a thing of the past.

Malouda was coveted around Europe last summer with Liverpool and Real Madrid among the clubs who battled with Chelsea for the winger's signature.

However it was the Blues who snapped up Malouda and he made a positive start to his Stamford Bridge career by scoring on his debut in the Community Shield against Manchester United.

Sadly for Malouda that has been the highpoint of his stay in England as since then he has been dogged by niggling injuries and inconsistent performances.

At international level, however, Malouda is a different proposition and he has been a key component of France's side in recent years.

He was the man who earned Les Bleus their penalty in the 2006 World Cup final, which Zindedine Zidane converted, and in the qualifying campaign for this summer's tournament he made 10 appearances and scored France's first goal against Georgia in Tbilisi.

Although, with a number of wingers battling to be a part of Raymond Domenech's first XI, Malouda will have to return to the form he showed at Lyon to impress in Austria and Switzerland.