Enzo Maresca agrees to follow Chelsea's policy of playing 23-year-old star only once a week - Reports

According to L'Equipe (via Daily Mail), Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has agreed to play French centre-back Wesley Fofana only once a week. The Frenchman has a notable injury history and is being carefully managed by the club.

Fofana signed for the Blues in the summer of 2022 for a reported fee of £70 million. However, since joining the west London club, the 23-year-old has failed to become a regular due to recurring injuries.

The Frenchman missed out on a good chunk of the 2022-23 season due to a knee injury. Fofana's injury nightmare continued the following year, as an anterior cruciate ligament tear in pre-season ruled him out entirely for the 2023-24 season. The former Leicester City defender, however, has overcome these setbacks and has been a key player in Maresca's setup so far this season.

As per the aforementioned report, the Italian manager has been forced to deploy Fofana only once a week until January to avoid risk of further injuries. Fofana has made seven appearances for the Blues this season, all of them coming in the Premier League. He has not been involved in the club's UEFA Conference League and Carabao Cup games.

Unfortunately, Fofana will not be available for Chelsea's next league clash with Liverpool after the international break. The Frenchman, alongside Marc Cucurela, will serve a one-match ban after accumulating five yellow cards in the league this season.

The 23-year-old has been called up to France's squad for their October UEFA Nations League clashes against Israel and Belgium. He was an unused substitute in Le Bleus' 4-1 win over the former nation on October 10.

Who will replace Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella when Chelsea faces Liverpool?

Chelsea will face a huge test in the league with a trip to Anfield beckoning after the international break. Enzo Maresca's men have been in fine form of late, winning five of their last six games across competitions.

They are now set to face a Liverpool side who have also been firing on all cylinders and are atop the league standings. Maresca will have to make some key changes to his defense, with Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella ruled out of the tie due to suspension.

In the heart of defense, Maresca could replace Fofana with either Axel Disasi or Tosin Adarabioyo, who are both right-footed centre-backs like Fofana. Meanwhile, summer signing Renato Viega looks like a good deputy for Cucurella. The former Benfica star has impressed in recent games and his versatility will come good for the side against the Reds.

Chelsea are fourth in the league table with 14 points from seven games, four points behind table-toppers Liverpool.