No star player, no signings and probably no boss.. troubled Chelsea have just 58 days to find their identity and heart before they face Red Devils in big Premier League opener

THE last time Chelsea started their season against Manchester United, in August 2004, it marked Jose Mourinho’s first step towards winning his first Premier League title.

Those were the days when the Blues could buy the biggest and the best.

This August they kick off at Old Trafford without their star player, the coach who won the Europa League and any new signings.

Chelsea have 58 days until then to find a new boss and a new identity.

The unveiling of Eden Hazard at Real Madrid last night was another reminder of how the Blues have come to the end of an era.

The rise of oil-backed clubs, owner Roman Abramovich’s loss of interest and now a two-window transfer ban – which despite being contested will stay in place for at least the summer – have seen them tread water in the shark pool of Europe’s top sides.

With negotiations continuing over the departure of Maurizio Sarri to Juventus, the Court of Arbitration for Sport this week released a list of cases to be heard in the next two months. Chelsea’s appeal over their FIFA transfer ban was not on it. That means they cannot recruit players during the current window.

Better than the government over Brexit, Chelsea have carried out their own no-deal planning with the January signing of Christian Pulisic and fresh contracts offered to Olivier Giroud and David Luiz.

But any new manager will face the task of blending the existing squad with players recalled from loan – and initially without the injured Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Hazard and Gary Cahill will be gone. It is a big job.

Fans’ favourite Frank Lampard, after only one season with Derby County in the Championship, is the popular choice to replace Sarri.

Foreign coaches with experience in the Premier League – Javi Gracia of Watford or Wolves’ Nuno Espirito Santo – are back-up plans. Ralf Rangnick, the German who was interviewed for the England job, or Italian Max Allegri are highquality candidates – if willing to work under unusual circumstances.

But when were circumstances ever normal at Stamford Bridge? Even last season, with Sarri abused by sections of Chelsea fans and coming close to the sack in February, they finished third behind arguably the two best teams in Europe, won the Europa League and lost the Carabao Cup only on penalties.

Last July, Antonio Conte was sacked after winning the FA Cup. Having dismissed so many managers in recent years, the irony of