Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has urged summer signing Facundo Buonanotte to stay patient amid his recent lack of first team opportunities.
The Brighton teen joined the Blues on loan in the summertime after he impressed at Leicester last season.
Chelsea paid the south coast club £2million for his services but he has hardly been utilized in recent weeks.
Indeed, the 20-year-old hasn’t made a single appearance since Chelsea’s 2-2 draw against Qarabag on November 5 and he hasn’t featured within the Premier League since September.
With the likes of Cole Palmer back to full fitness, the young Argentinean’s possibilities can be restricted even further but Maresca hinted he still sees the gifted forward as a vital member of his squad.
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‘Facu is working well,’ he said ahead of Saturday’s game at Bournemouth. ‘He played many games originally because Cole was injured, Liam was injured, so we had more room for him.
‘There isn’t any reason, the explanation why is because now we have players on this position which might be back.’
Maresca, meanwhile, reiterated his commitment to managing the event of teenage wonderkid Estevao after he needed to be taken off at half-time during Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to Leeds.
Defeat at Elland Road got here after Maresca made five changes to his lineup however the 18-year-old was amongst those to maintain his place after impressing within the remarkable win over Barcelona and the draw with Arsenal.
He was yellow-carded towards the top of the primary half for what gave the impression to be a deliberate foul on Gabriel Gudmundsson, and with signs of frustration apparent he didn’t re-emerge after the interval.
After the sport, Maresca suggested it had been a matter of “welcome to the Premier League” for the teen, who joined in the summertime from Palmeiras and who was mostly used a substitute throughout the first three months of the season.
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Nonetheless, with excitement constructing around his evident talent, in addition to Maresca’s need for a creative spark within the recent absence of Cole Palmer, it has been increasingly difficult to depart out the Brazilian.
“My feeling was not that Leeds targeted him,” said Maresca. “My feeling after the sport was they targeted all of our players.
“My comment about him was that he’s 18, he’s from Brazil, probably didn’t know where we were going to play. Probably the English players, they know Leeds and the way it’s.
“Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool; they’re all stadiums which might be a bit different by way of environment.
“With (Estevao), the situation to place him at all times on the pitch – play, play, play – sometimes we want to administer him a little bit bit.”
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