Liam Rosenior has confirmed Enzo Fernandez is in contention to feature against Manchester United this weekend and outlined the next step Levi Cowill will take in his recovery from a knee injury.
The Blues will be looking to halt a disappointing run of form in the topflight when United, currently third in the table, visit Stamford Bridge this weekend.
Three points are needed in our pursuit of Champions League qualification, and Rosenior has confirmed that Fernandez is available after missing our FA Cup victory over Port Vale and last weekend’s Premier League outing against Manchester United.
‘Enzo has been with the group and has been training very, very well,’ explained our head coach during his pre-match press conference. ‘So, it’s business as usual in terms of selection for the game.
‘Enzo has come back to the group this week, and the group has been fantastic. In terms of his training, his application to training, Enzo has been fantastic as well.’
Rosenior also delivered updates on the fitness of Trevoh Chalobah, who hasn’t featured since the second leg of our Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain, and our captain, Reece James, who has been absent since our defeat to Newcastle United on March 14.
‘Trevoh trained today,’ he said. ‘Not quite fully; it was modified training. We’ll make a decision on him, but he’s very, very close. Reece is a little bit further away.’
There was positive news on Colwill, who hasn’t featured for the Blues during the current campaign due to a knee ligament injury sustained in pre-season.
He has been involved in full training in recent weeks, and Rosenior explained the center-back will take the next step in his recovery by featuring for our Under-21s in a behind-closed-doors friendly tomorrow (Friday).
He said: ‘I’m hoping [we’ll see Levi before the end of the season] as Levi is an outstanding player and a leader in the dressing room.
‘Levi will play some minutes with the Under-21s tomorrow, which is fantastic for him. When you have a long-term injury, to the extent of Levi’s injury, you need a long rehab period. I want to make sure he is 100 per cent right in terms of his match fitness before we consider him for our first team.
‘It [the game] has not been set up especially for him, but it’s something that we think is right for him in this moment.’
