Joao Felix has been left out of the Chelsea squad for Saturday’s game against Manchester City after he was granted time off from the club due to a family bereavement.
Chelsea travel to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening looking to make a real statement in the race for the Premier League’s top four. The Blues currently sit in fourth place, two points ahead of their resurgent hosts.
They have to play against City without Felix The TelegraphS Matt Law reports the attacking midfielder has been granted special leave following a family bereavement.
Felix’s absence has no impact on the ongoing speculation about his future at Stamford Bridge. AC Milan are among the teams pursuing the signing of Felix, but Blues boss Enzo Maresca has reiterated his desire to keep the 25-year-old.
“Joao is definitely a Chelsea player,” Maresca said in his pre-match press conference.
“Unfortunately the problem lies with Joao and Christo [Nkunku]the coach plays most games with an attacking midfielder, and that is Cole Palmer. We have decided to play with an attacking midfielder in most games, so Joao and Christo are struggling to get minutes – not for any other reason, because they are both fantastic players, fantastic guys who work well.
“The reason for this is just that in most games I choose to play with an attacking midfielder for balance reasons. That’s why.”