Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has suggested that Joao Felix should expect to remain on the substitutes' bench for Premier League fixtures.
The Blues committed to a deal that could reach £46.3m when acquiring the former loanee from Atletico Madrid during the summer transfer window.
Felix has since made a total of nine starts and nine substitute outings in all competitions, scoring seven goals, but his impact in the top flight has been limited.
Just 349 minutes have been accumulated across 10 matches, the Portugal international left to hope that netting twice against Morecambe in the FA Cup third round on Saturday will lead to an increased amount of game time.
However, Maresca has hinted that the versatile attacker should not be anticipating a recall to Premier League action versus Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
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What has Maresca had to say?
When quizzed after the demolition of the Shrimps, Maresca said, as quoted by The Mirror: "The only thing I've said since the start of this season is that it's difficult to play him with so many attacking players.
"In my idea it means that if Joao plays, it means Cole [Palmer] doesn't play. Or, if Joao plays he has to play with Cole together but it depends on the game.
"For me it's quite easy, we have three players but they are more or less similar; Cole, Joao and Christopher Nkunku.
"Joao played some games, Christo [Nkunku] also played and they both started against Ipswich and Southampton they played, Leicester they played. Some games they can both play together but not every game because every game is a bit different."
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Cam Maresca expect issues with Felix?
Unlike with Nkunku, who has been strongly linked with a departure from Chelsea, Felix appears in line to remain as a member of the squad until at least the rest of the season.
Felix is tied to the West Londoners until 2031 and his versatility is a major asset to Maresca ahead of trying to win both the FA Cup and Conference League.
Nevertheless, with Palmer having been rested against Morecambe at the weekend, Felix is likely to be back among the replacements for the game with Bournemouth.
Furthermore, Chelsea have just three fixtures for the remainder of January, leaving it unclear when Felix will next feature in the starting lineup.
Darren Plant
