Enzo Maresca suggests £54m Chelsea player won’t start against Wolves on Sunday

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Enzo Maresca has suggested that Chelsea’s £54m player is unlikely to be named in the starting line-up this weekend against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Chelsea return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Wolves. Hopefully, the Blues can get their first league points of the season after losing their opener at home to Manchester City.

It’s certainly going to be an important fixture for Pedro Neto, who completed his transfer from Wolves to Chelsea in this summer window.

The 24-year-old winger came off the bench last Sunday for his Chelsea debut against Man City. He followed that up with a start and just under an hour of action in last night’s Conference League win over Servette.

Now, the attention for him and the squad turns towards a trip to Molineux Stadium.

• READ MORE: Wolves star admits he actually wants to see Pedro Neto play well for Chelsea on Sunday

Enzo Maresca admits Pedro Neto unlikely to start against Wolves

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has admitted that Neto is unlikely to be in the starting XI for the trip to Wolves. He makes a fair point that the £54m attacker (Sky Sports) hasn’t completed 90 minutes at club level since February.

When asked if Neto is ready to start in the Premier League against his former club, Maresca said via Football.London: “Pedro, the last time he played 90 minutes was in February. You can imagine, a long time ago…

“Probably tonight for Pedro, playing 65 or 60 minutes, probably to give him another game on Sunday is too early but we’ll see. Pedro is the kind of winger, you see in the first-half, is always trying one-v-one and is creating momentum that is very important for the team.”

Promising start from Pedro Neto

Neto’s played close to 90 minutes across his first two Chelsea appearances, and there’s plenty to suggest he’ll be a real fan favourite at Stamford Bridge.

The versatile attacker, who’s already popped up on both wings, adds a bit of extra quality to the Blues frontline. Everyone may need to be patient with him while he gets up to full fitness, though.

Neto has an incredible ability one-on-one to dribble past defenders, plus he’s got lightning pace and energy. His directness has immediately caught the eye as a great strength to his game.

It’ll be a real shame for the Portuguese star if he can’t start on his return to Wolves, but we expect him to get a great reception from the home supporters.