Enzo Maresca reveals £5m Chelsea star ‘was not training well enough to play’

Enzo Maresca has revealed that he was unhappy with Marc Guiu’s effort levels in training with Chelsea following his return from Sunderland.

Guiu, a £5 million signing from Barcelona last year, made 16 appearances last season but most of those were in Chelsea’s successful Conference League campaign.

The 19-year-old joined Sunderland on loan in August but was recalled by Chelsea after just 26 days with the Black Cats following Liam Delap’s hamstring injury.

After returning to Chelsea, Guiu did not feature in their next six matches before he made a substitute appearance in the 2-1 win against Liverpool earlier this month.

‘We had a chat with Marc two weeks ago, I told him the way he was training I didn’t like and that he needs to change. He changed and he gets the chance, it’s like that,’ Maresca revealed in his press conference on Friday.

‘He was not training well, in all ways.’

When asked for the reason behind Guiu’s lack of effort, Maresca replied: ‘I don’t know, that’s why a young player sometimes, they are one way so you need to go slowly, slowly with them.

‘But since we chat he stopped. He’s [now] fantastic and working very good.’

Guiu scored his first goal since returning to Chelsea in the 5-1 win against Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Asked if Guiu is now ready to start a game for Chelsea ahead of their Premier League match against Sunderland on Saturday, Maresca said: ‘Absolutely yes. He’s ready to start.’

Maresca also refused to entertain the prospect of sending Guiu back on loan to Sunderland in the January transfer window.

‘Oh my god, we are in October, I don’t know,’ Maresca said.

‘In football, things can change very quick for everyone, for players, for managers, for everyone, so it’s very difficult to say.’

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