£30m Chelsea player is actually the ‘strange’ reason why Enzo Maresca has banished Ben Chilwell

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Enzo Maresca has made his feelings clear about one of Chelsea’s longest serving and best-paid players.

He has made it clear that there is no place in the side for Ben Chilwell, despite the fact he was recognised as the club’s vice-captain.

Chilwell has been told there is no way back too, with Maresca seemingly preferring Marc Cucurella and Renato Veiga as options.

Fenerbache are reportedly interested in signing Chilwell, a move that would present an opportunity for him to link up with Jose Mourinho.

It looks as if it is not only the two natural left-sided defenders who are keeping the England international out of the side. Ben Jacobs has explained why Malo Gusto is actually pushing him further down the pecking order.

Malo Gusto has helped push Ben Chilwell out at Chelsea

He said to ‘The Mighty Chelsea’: “The reason why Maresca isn’t giving him much hope at this stage is effectively Malo Gusto, which might sound like a strange thing to say.

“But as we’ve seen in pre-season, Gusto kept being moved left. He wanted to trial Gusto as an inverted left full-back, or as a regular left full-back.

“The most logical conclusion to me is that you’re going to have Reece James when fit on the right, and maybe Cucurella is your inverted one so James gets more opportunity to bomb forwards, and then effectively Gusto is effectively the back up to both, and they are constantly training him on both sides and moving him across to that left-hand-side.”

Gusto picks up an injury

Gusto has started every game of the season so far in the right-back role, with Reece James absent though injury as well as suspension.

However, the Frenchman has now joined him on the treatment table after suffering an injury in their last game against Crystal Palace.

It has been claimed that the duo are both unlikely to be fit for their first game back against Bournemouth.

There is hope however that Romeo Lavia will be able to return. He has not been seen since the opening day defeat to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.