dailyloe.com – Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez remains suspended for Sunday’s Premier League match against Manchester City. Head coach Liam Rosenior confirmed this decision. The suspension follows Fernandez’s recent comments about Madrid.
Fernandez received a two-match internal ban from Chelsea last week. He gave an interview during the international break. In it, he expressed admiration for the city of Madrid.
The Argentine player has been repeatedly linked with Real Madrid. His agent, Javier Pastore, said they cleared the air with Chelsea. Pastore hoped the ban would be reduced to one match.
Rosenior says the club will stick to the original punishment. This is despite Fernandez apologizing for his comments. The player missed last Saturday’s 7-0 FA Cup win against Port Vale.
“I had three or four [conversations] with Enzo,” said Rosenior. “He’s apologised to me, he’s apologised to the club. We’ll deal with that after a massive game on Sunday.”
Rosenior described the meeting as serious. He stated he is not questioning Fernandez’s character. The coach said he made the decision for the sanction.
“We’ve made a sanction, we made a decision – I made a decision,” Rosenior said. “What I want for Enzo is for him to have an outstanding career.” Chelsea are currently sixth in the Premier League. They are one point behind Liverpool. Liverpool occupy the final Champions League qualification spot.
Rosenior insisted he was not shooting himself in the foot. He said there were hurdles to overcome for Fernandez’s return. “He won’t play on Sunday,” added the Blues boss.
“Hopefully after that he’ll be a massive part of the group moving forward,” Rosenior said. “There are still a few hurdles to be overcome.” The coach declined to specify what those hurdles were.
“There are still things in the air that I won’t speak about now,” Rosenior explained. He stated he has a very good relationship with Fernandez. However, things still need clearing before a final statement.
The former Strasbourg manager is positive about Fernandez’s future availability. He expects the player to be ready for Manchester United’s visit. The situation will be resolved after the Manchester City fixture.[]
Source: BBC
