Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that striker Liam Delap is nearing a return to first-team training as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Delap, who joined the Blues from Ipswich Town in a £30 million summer move, has been sidelined since suffering the problem during Chelsea’s 2-0 Premier League win over Fulham on August 30.
The 22-year-old was initially expected to be out for up to 12 weeks, but his recovery appears to be progressing quicker than planned.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Champions League meeting with Ajax, Maresca revealed that the forward could rejoin team training in the coming days.
“Liam is very close,” Maresca said. “He is not working with us yet, he is still out but hopefully he can start in the next days to take part in the session with us.”
Delap’s injury forced Chelsea into a late scramble at the end of the transfer window, with the club attempting to prevent Nicolas Jackson’s switch to Bayern Munich.
When that move went through, Chelsea recalled Marc Guiu from his loan spell at Sunderland and ultimately decided against selling Tyrique George to Fulham despite an agreed £22 million deal.
With Joao Pedro suspended following his red card against Benfica, Maresca admitted he has decisions to make over who will lead the line against Ajax.
“We have him [Marc], we have also Tyrique who has played games as a nine in the past,” he said. “He did well. He played I think against Benfica as a nine. We have different options. We have one more session this afternoon and then we decide.
“We trust Marc. We trust already last year, he was always playing in the Conference [League]. We also gave him some Premier League games so we show in the past that we trust Marc. Now he is again with us and he is going to play games for sure.”
Delap has not featured since August but could offer much-needed depth to Chelsea’s attacking options, with Maresca’s side looking to maintain their European push.
The Italian coach also addressed Chelsea’s recent disciplinary record after Malo Gusto’s dismissal against Nottingham Forest marked the club’s fifth red card in six matches.
“For sure it is something that we can do better,” Maresca said. “I think some of the red cards, we could avoid that. For example, the Malo one is completely avoidable. It is 3-0, the game is finished.
“But also, the other side, they don’t want to concede, they want to continue to be aggressive. For sure, when you concede five or six red cards, there is something we have to improve and it is something we are for sure going to improve.
“[But] personally, I’m not that kind of manager to punish players. I don’t think in my view it is the right way to do things. I prefer to help them understand and then from there to do the right things.”
Maresca likened his approach to managing players to how he handles parenting, adding: “I have four kids. When they do something wrong, I don’t punish them. I try to push them to do the right things and I try to treat the players in the same way.”
Meanwhile, Enzo Fernández could return to the squad after recovering from inflammation in his right knee, sustained during international duty with Argentina.
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