Enzo Fernandez sends clear message amid Enzo Maresca snub and personal struggles

Enzo Fernandez has sent a clear message to Enzo Maresca that he is working hard to get back into the Chelsea XI after losing his place in recent weeks.

After starting six of their opening seven Premier League matches, Fernandez has been named on the bench for their last three top-flight games. The 23-year-old has been replaced in the middle of the park by Romeo Lavia, who has impressed alongside Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer.

Instead, Fernandez has started in the 'second-choice' team, which has been playing in the Europa League and Carabao Cup. The Argentine lined up in the XI to face Panathinaikos and Newcastle last month and is expected to start against Armenian side Noah on Thursday.

It has been a challenging start to the season on and off the pitch for Fernandez, but he has fired a message that he is putting the graft in as he tries to get back to his best.

In an Instagram story, Fernandez, who boasts 11.3million followers, captioned a photo with him in the gym and on the pull up bars: "work in progress", alongside a winking face emoji.

Fernandez's 20-minute cameo against Manchester United on Sunday came after it was revealed he split with childhood sweetheart Valentina Cervantes to live on his own - despite them having a daughter and son together.

Speaking on Fernandez, who joined the Blues from Benfica in January 2023, and his form ahead of the trip to United. Maresca said: "They are human beings and if you pay £100m that is not my problem.

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"You want to buy me then you pay that money. That does not mean that every game you have to be the best. At the end of the day they are football players and they cannot always be at the top level.

"At this moment Enzo is not playing but there is no problem with Enzo. The noise about Enzo is because clubs pay so much money for them, people expect they will always be the best. That is not so. The only reason he is not playing is just because the physicality I prefer is from (Moises) Caicedo and Romeo Lavia."

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