Enzo Maresca may give out first Chelsea Premier League start vs Aston Villa after being seen working close with youngster in training

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Enzo Maresca will likely be willing to give anything a try at this point as he seeks far and wide for an answer to Chelsea’s recent crisis.

The Blues are on a run of just two Premier League wins in their last nine games, and the manager is beginning to take some of the criticism.

John Obi Mikel believes Maresca would’ve already gone if Abramovich was owner of the club still, as they threaten to miss out on Champions League football for next season.

Maresca has had to deal with a plethora of injury issues of lately, with both defence and attack being impacted.

The most recent addition to the treatment table is Noni Madueke. The winger was forced off early on in their last Premier League game against Brighton.

• READ MORE: Enzo Maresca’s three solutions for Chelsea after Noni Madueke’s injury news, including playing key man in different position

Tyrique George could be set for first Premier League start

A lot of questions leading up to the Blues’ next league game against Aston Villa are revolving around who will replace the Englishman, and there is a chance the boss takes a gamble with youngster Tyrique George.

The academy graduate is yet to start a Premier League game this season, however has made his mark in the Conference League.

Chelsea fans have been wowed by George when he has been given the opportunity, and his most recent impressive cameo came in the heavy defeat to Brighton.

The likes of Jadon Sancho and Pedro Neto have not guaranteed themselves minutes with their most recent performances, and this could see the manager working on a new solution.

Chelsea’s recent Instagram post from Thursday’s training session shows Maresca working closely with George, potentially passing on instructions to prepare him for his first start in the league.

George has been holding his own in training amongst his first team peers, and it is becoming hard to ignore him as a genuine starting option at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Maresca’s broken promise to Tyrique George

After being promoted to the first team on a permanent basis, many will have expected to have seen more from George in recent weeks.

Perhaps no one more than the player himself, with his manager claiming back in early January that he would have an important role to play in the upcoming games.

He said to Football London: “Good. Tyrique is doing well with us. He already played some games in the Conference League. He is the same age as Josh Acheampong, very young, so hopefully we can give them more chances and they can also become an important part of this team.”

Since then, he has just 31 league minutes to his name, as well as a cameo in the FA Cup defeat to Brighton at the Amex.

Chelsea’s efforts to sign Alejandro Garnacho in January also proved to the youngster that they were looking for options other than him to fulfil the wide areas, with Maresca yet to deliver on his promise to George.