12 hours ago
1 Enzo Fernandez may face an uncertain future at Chelsea as the World Cup winner seems to have fallen out of favour with new Blues boss Enzo Maresca.
The World Cup winner has not started the last two Premier League matches for the West London club and having played 90 minutes midweek against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, it is unlikely that the midfielder will play from the off when Enzo Maresca’s side travel to Old Trafford to play Man United on Sunday.
The Italian coach has preferred Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia as his two pivots against Liverpool and Newcastle last week, and that has raised concerns over the future of Fernandez as it is not common to leave a £106.8m player on the bench – which Todd Boehly and co. will not be thrilled about.
Speaking ahead of the Man United clash on Friday, Maresca has explained his decision to start Lavia and Caicedo the last two times in the league.
“Romeo Lavia and Caicedo give us physicality, strength in the middle,” the Chelsea coach said via Fabrizio Romano. “When we play with Enzo, it has to be Enzo and one between Moi and Romeo.
“When Enzo moves we struggle in the middle with physicality. In this moment, Moi and Romeo give us this.”
Enzo Fernandez in action for Chelsea. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Is the future of Enzo Fernandez at Chelsea under threat?
This sounds like a problem for Fernandez as being strong is not something the Argentina star can fix without some compromise. The midfielder could put on more muscle but will that slow him down further?
Maresca’s comments hint that the 23-year-old could spend some time on the bench and that is something the World Cup winner will not be happy with.

 
Despite this, the Chelsea boss also said that he still trusts the former Benfica star, which will offer the player hope regarding his future at Stamford Bridge.
“I still trust Enzo Fernandez, there’s no reason I can lose confidence in him. He’s gonna play many games for sure,” Maresca admitted via Fabrizio Romano. “The reason he isn’t playing in the Premier League is because I made a different decision. My confidence is 100% with Enzo”.
