Gary Neville has now claimed that he believes one Chelsea player is struggling to play at his very best right now.
He told Sky Sports that Ben Chilwell’s frequent injury problems have left him looking as if he is trying to avoid picking up a recurring problem when he is playing.
Chilwell made his first start last night since September, when he was forced off in an earlier round of the EFL Cup.
However, he looked back to his best in many ways in the 65 minutes he captained the side as they booked their place in the final of the competition with a dominant win.
His driving run and sensational pace teed up Raheem Sterling to cut the ball back after 15 minutes, where a Middlesbrough player put the ball into his own net to get the Blues rolling.
The return of the £50m signing to the squad also allowed Levi Colwill to feature in his more natural centre-back position, where he looked superb alongside Thiago Silva.
Before the game though, Neville made the point though that his injury record has left Chilwell struggling to be at 100%.
He said: “It’s bad for the lad he gets so many injuries because you feel like an imposter and you feel like you don’t belong. It’s that constant question of when are you back.
“I have to say sometimes when I watch Ben Chilwell when he does come back he feels like an injury waiting to happen. He looks a bit pensive, a bit tentative. I don’t know how he breaks this cycle and it must be getting to a point at Chelsea where you need reliability and consistency from your defenders.
“He has got to try and stay fit for a long period because Mauricio Pochettino needs to build a team and a back four in particular.”
With Reece James out for a prolonged period of time, the left-back’s status as one of the leaders of the club is going to be equally as important as his abilities on the pitch.
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