Enzo Maresca has admitted he is “ashamed” of the way he treated Ben Chilwell, who is expected to leave Chelsea this month after being frozen out.
Chilwell has made just one appearance for Chelsea so far this season, coming off the bench in their 5-0 win over League Two side Barrow in the Carabao Cup in September. The left back has been linked with Juventus and West Ham, among others, in recent weeks.
And Maresca says he sympathizes with Chilwell over his situation, telling reporters ahead of Chelsea's clash with Bournemouth: “Because players want to play more, there are probably opportunities for them to leave.
“But Ben has been great. I have to say, he has been great. Very professional, works hard. I am ashamed of that situation, but in terms of behavior he has been very good.”
When asked to explain why he has hardly played Chilwell for Chelsea, Maresca added: “First of all, because it is my choice. And because I see Malo Gusto, Reece James or Marc Cucurella doing different types of work during the match.
“I think Chilwell is a top full-back who does his job up and down and has had the opportunity to win titles and play in the national team in the past, but I struggle to see Ben doing other things. ” Chilwell is one of several Chelsea players who could leave this month and Maresca also addressed reports that Renato Veiga is closing in on a move to Borussia Dortmund.
It is claimed that Veiga is set to join Dortmund on loan with an option to buy and when asked about the 21-year-old's future, Maresca joked about her baldness. “I am not aware that there is an agreement for Renato,” he added.
“Yesterday he was here working with us, today he will be here with us. At the moment he is our player. We will see if something happens. All I can say is that we bought him from Basel, he played differently.” positions, played well, and this allowed him to join the national team for the first time in his life.
“Even if he doesn't play in his position, he plays for his national team, which means he can do well in the position he plays in. In this case, a young player of 21 years old came to Chelsea and started playing in the club.” Four or five different positions, that has given him the opportunity to join his national team, so we are very proud of that.”
When asked about Veiga's desire for more playing time, Maresca joked: “I also want long hair. We have more than twenty players, they all want to play, but that is not possible.”
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