Antonio Conte plays down Roman Abramovich visit

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has played down the significance of Roman Abramovich's recent visit to the club's training ground amid ongoing speculation regarding his future.

The Chelsea owner was at Cobham last weekend, during which time he watched the players train and spoke with manager Conte, who has found his position come under severe scrutiny just six months after leading the Blues to the Premier League title in record-breaking fashion.

A mixed start to their title defence coupled with their 3-0 Champions League defeat to Roma in midweek has put more pressure on the Italian's shoulders following reports that he has fallen out with members of the Chelsea board and some of his players.

However, Conte insists that there was nothing out of the ordinary when it came to Abramovich's visit ahead of their Premier League clash with high-flying Manchester United on Sunday.

"Yes, Mr Abramovich was in Cobham on Sunday after the Bournemouth game to watch the training, to speak. But this is normal," he told reporters.

"Honestly we spoke about the Bournemouth game and the first game against Roma. We spoke about this."

Defeat for Chelsea on Sunday could see them end the weekend 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.