Enzo Maresca reveals stance on selling £53m Chelsea star to Man Utd amid transfer links

Chelsea brag Enzo Maresca is struggling to support each of the players successful his bloated squad happy, with Manchester United 1 of the rivals circling implicit stars demanding much crippled time

Enzo Maresca has insisted Christopher Nkunku is not for merchantability aft the Chelsea prima was linked with a determination to Manchester United.

Nkunku joined the Blues from RB Leipzig for £53million successful the summertime of 2023. But his debut play was heavy disrupted by injury and helium has struggled for chances successful the Premier League this term.

His sole commencement successful the apical formation this run was the opening-day decision by Manchester City. Since then, helium has been forced to settee for a relation arsenic a sub and helium has not played for much than 15 minutes successful immoderate of Chelsea's past 7 games.

Instead, helium has chiefly featured successful cupful competitions arsenic portion of the Blues' 2nd string. That has allowed him to go the team's apical scorer successful each competitions with 10 goals.

His struggles for crippled clip led to reports that the Frenchman is unhappy and eyeing a determination to United successful the January window. But Maresca has present firmly enactment that proposition to furniture by insisting Nkunku remains a cardinal player.

"I spoke to Christo days agone and helium did not accidental helium was unhappy. For sure, helium would similar to play minutes, but similar galore players. We person truthful galore games, particularly successful December. Since we started, for me, determination are not 2 squads – the squad is lone one," helium said.

"They tin play Conference League oregon the Premier League. I wholly privation Christo to enactment with us. I don't person immoderate thought to fto him permission successful January. Christo's champion presumption is betwixt the lines arsenic a No 10 but Cole [Palmer] is playing there.

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"Joao Felix played a Premier League crippled the different time against Leicester and Christopher, for sure, is going to play Premier League games. But we person galore players, we effort to stock minutes with each of them.

"The intention, the people is to support each of them happy, adjacent knowing that sometimes it’s not possible. Now is not the infinitesimal oregon the clip to deliberation astir January, we are inactive astatine the extremity of November, we inactive person many, galore games, particularly successful December, past we volition see."

Maresca has admitted that helium is struggling to stock the minutes astir his bloated squad. He added: "The occupation with Chris… it’s not a problem, it’s the aforesaid contented and the aforesaid happening we mentioned galore times astir Joao.

"If you play with Cole, if you play with Joao, if you play with Christo, if you play with Noni [Madueke], if you play with Jadon [Sancho]… who is defending? Because their skills are not defending, it’s to attack. We emotion them, we privation them but besides we request balance.

"The past crippled we tried with Joao and Cole together. Hopefully adjacent crippled oregon soon we tin effort Christo and Cole, Christo and Joao, for sure, and the crushed wherefore is due to the fact that we person truthful galore games.

"We are not going to play galore games with Cole and Christo, oregon with Cole and Joao, we played the different time but you request balance. Leicester’s program won’t beryllium the aforesaid arsenic Aston Villa’s plan. They are each fantastic players, they are each going to play games, nary doubt. But not each game."

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