Marc Guiu Chelsea game time addressed by Enzo Maresca, head coach hints at reason behind no minutes

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has suggested that Marc Guiu's performances in training have been behind his lack of game time this season.

Earlier in the summer, Guiu was loaned out to Sunderland in a bid to enhance his development, the Spain Under-21 international racking up 103 minutes in August.

However, the hamstring injury suffered by Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson's transfer to Bayern Munich meant that club officials had to react fast, subsequently leading to Guiu making a surprise return to Stamford Bridge.

Across six games since being reintegrated into the squad, the 19-year-old has not been handed a single minute by Maresca, much to the frustration of the club's fanbase when Chelsea have struggled in the final third.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Saturday's Premier League fixture against Liverpool, Maresca hinted that the former Barcelona prospect had not been making an impact in training.

Maresca comments on Guiu Chelsea game time

As quoted by football.london, the Italian said: "Marc is working well. This week, he has worked very, very good; much better compared to the first weeks he was back."

When quizzed on whether he felt Guiu's development was being negatively impacted, Maresca dismissed the idea that regular game time was required at this stage.

He added: "I don't think so. He is back with a big club like Chelsea. Again, he is going to get minutes with us, no doubt.

"The development for a young player is not all about games, it is also about training. He is working with us."

Will Guiu feature for Chelsea against Liverpool?

Joao Pedro is likely to start down the middle of Chelsea's attack against the Premier League leaders.

Tyrique George has been used in that position in the EFL Cup and Champions League, scoring against Lincoln City but failing to make an impact versus Benfica on Tuesday night.

As it stands, Maresca has shown preference to using George over Guiu, despite the former having nearly joined Fulham on transfer deadline day.

The majority of Chelsea's fanbase have been calling for Maresca to use Guiu courtesy of the lack of physical presence offered by George, who is a winger rather than centre-forward.

Whether Maresca relents on the matter remains to be seen, but there is at least encouragement through Guiu's efforts behind the scenes.