Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has revealed the seriousness of Enzo Fernandes’ injury after he was left out of the squad for the game against Nottingham Forest.
The Blues were hit by injuries early this season and were without several key players for Saturday’s game against Nottom Forest.
Earlier this week, Maresca announced that England international Cole Palmer will be out for a further six weeks, while Moises Caicedo will start on the bench for Saturday’s game.
Fernandes also impressed for Chelsea in the early stages of this season, but was not fit enough to be included in the squad facing Chelsea.
In his pre-match press conference, Maresca commented on Fernandes’ absence, clarifying that his issue was “not a big concern”.
“For sure. There’s always another difficult game, but we’re preparing for the game with the aim of winning,” Maresca said of the match between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
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“(Enzo Fernandes’ injury) is not a big worry. He is out injured but I hope he will be back soon.”
On playing without Fernandes and with Moises Caideco on the bench: “It’s not just their problem. We have to look for another solution. We will try to find a solution.”
Maresca also left Estevao out of the starting XI, and the head coach explained the reasons for this decision.
“He has already started in our games. He has returned from a long trip from Brazil so we have to manage that,” Maresca added.
“We have six or seven games before the next break. I’m sure he’ll play, but he’s already shown he can play from the get-go.”
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Nevertheless, Maresca said on Friday that the recent international break was a benefit for the team.
“No, that’s a good thing because Tocin is back, (Wesley) Fofana is back, Andrei Santos is back.
“But at the same time we are unfortunately a little unbalanced with Enzo missing, Moi missing and Pedro missing, but again, we will do our best to find the right solution for the next game.”
On the reaction of Cole Palmer, who was sidelined for a further six weeks with injury, he added:
“He is trying to recover from his injury and is receiving all the necessary treatment, so he appears to be in good condition.”
