Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has reiterated that Ian Maatsen remains in his plans for the rest of the season.
On the back of an impressive loan spell with Burnley in the Championship, Maatsen went on to make a positive impression during Chelsea's pre-season tour of the USA.
Since then, though, Maatsen's game time has been heavily restricted, his only two starts coming in EFL Cup ties against AFC Wimbledon and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Although the Netherlands Under-21 international has featured on nine occasions in the Premier League, each outing has been off the substitutes' bench and he has accumulated just 131 minutes.
As a result, there has been speculation that the versatile 21-year-old will be made available for transfer in January, or that he will push for an exit himself.
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Maatsen has acknowledged that he will give consideration to a move elsewhere if he continues to remain out of the side, his eye being on a place in the Netherlands squad for Euro 2024.
With just over 18 months remaining on his contract, it is plausible that club officials may look to cash in on Maatsen at the midway point of the campaign.
However, speaking at a press conference on Friday, Pochettino suggested that Maatsen would be used over the Christmas and New Year period courtesy of the club's lengthy injury list.
"Of course, in the current circumstances, but he is always involved. With young players, they can impress in pre-season, but always you need to give time after to be calm and relax.
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"He is a player that is in our squad, he is a great kid, and has the quality that you can use in different position. It's about giving time to him. Came from Burnley, and, of course, the step to play for Chelsea and to perform at Chelsea is, with the greatest of respect, is not the same.
"He is a player that is in our roster and we celebrate that he is with us because he is always helping the team."
With Reece James and Marc Cucurella both sidelined for Saturday's Premier League fixture with Sheffield United and Malo Gusto having only just returned to training after a knee issue, Maatsen could feature at right-back or left-back.
Chelsea begin a period of five games in the space of two weeks, making it likely that Maatsen will be used regularly for those matches.
Darren Plant
