Joao Felix left out of Chelsea squad for Man City clash with club granting leave
Joao Felix left out of Chelsea squad for Man City clash with club granting leave
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Chelsea star Joao Felix has been left out of the squad to face Manchester City on Saturday after being granted compassionate leave following a family bereavement. The 25-year-old has flown back to Portugal ahead of the trip to the Etihad, so he won't be involved in the game against Pep Guardiola's side.
Felix has only played 12 games for the Blues since sealing a £46million move from Atletico Madrid last summer and has been linked with a move away this week. The former Barcelona forward has struggled to get in the team, starting just three games in the Premier League and a further nine off the bench.
He has still managed to score seven goals in all competitions, including four in the UEFA Conference League and one in the FA Cup. The main reason Felix has struggled for game time is due to the form of Cole Palmer, with manager Enzo Maresca confirming that he can only play with one attacking midfielder.
When asked about the Portuguese star's future, he said: "For sure, Joao is a Chelsea player. The problem, unfortunately, for Joao and Christo [Nkunku], the manager plays most of the games with one attacking midfielder and that is Cole Palmer. "We have decided to play with an attacking midfielder in most of the games, so this is the reason why Joao and Christo struggle to get minutes - not for any different reasons because they are both fantastic players, fantastic guys who work well.
