Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has reportedly agreed with one of his players that they will not feature more than once a week.
The Blues have bounced back from an opening-weekend defeat to Manchester City to sit in fourth place in the Premier League standings.
Given that Chelsea are also managing fixtures in the EFL Cup and Conference League, Maresca can be delighted with the current efforts of his new-look squad.
As well as making a number of high-profile additions, at least two players have already made their returns from long-term injuries.
Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia both fall into that bracket, the former missing the entirety of last season and the latter making just one substitute appearance.
Despite both squad members now being back in the fold, Maresca has allegedly made a deal with one of the duo regarding their game time.
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Fofana's match action being limited
According to L'Equipe, Fofana is currently not coming under consideration for two matches in a single week.
The 23-year-old has faced a long road back from several serious knee injuries to impressively start every Premier League fixture of 2024-25.
However, Fofana will be rested for all EFL Cup ties, as well as not featuring in any of the remaining five Conference League encounters that will be played before the end of 2024.
Maresca is said to have 'fallen in love' with the player who is seemingly regarded as his first-choice option in the middle of the backline.
There are reportedly no plans to tinker with the current strategy in a bid to keep Fofana fresh from matches in England's top flight.
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Upcoming dilemma
Although Fofana has made seven successive Premier League starts, he will be unavailable for next Sunday's Premier League contest at Liverpool through suspension.
That leaves the former Leicester City man without a club match until the home fixture with Newcastle United on October 27.
Fofana is currently away on international duty with France, but he remained as an unused substitute for the win over Israel in the UEFA Nations League earlier this week.
France are next in action when they square off versus Belgium on Monday night.
Darren Plant
