Antonio Conte: 'Ross Barkley not ready to make debut'

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has ruled Ross Barkley out of Wednesday night's EFL Cup semi-final first-leg tie against Arsenal as the midfielder is still not fit.

Barkley, who joined the Blues from Everton in a £15m deal at the end of last week, has yet to play a single minute of competitive football this term.

Despite being without the England international for the foreseeable future, Conte has hailed his latest recruit for quickly settling into his new surroundings since completing his drawn-out switch.

"Tomorrow night I think is very soon, very soon for him," he told reporters. "But we must be pleased because his physical condition is good, and he has started to train with us, understand our football.

"I think that we must be pleased, but he needs a bit of time to work on the physical and tactical aspects. His condition is good, very good.

"I don't know when he will be back, it's very difficult to say now. But at the same time I'm very positive, because the player is a good guy, he's shown great will to work, great desire to help us very soon. And I think it's very positive. I'm very happy to have Ross with us for the rest of the season."

Barkley is the only big-name absentee for Chelsea ahead of the visit of London rivals Arsenal, with forward Eden Hazard declared fit.