Liam Rosenior has revealed that Enzo Fernandez still has 'a few obstacles' to overcome before he can be reintegrated into the Chelsea squad. The Blues captain was omitted from the team that beat Port Vale 7-0 in the FA Cup and will also miss Sunday's Premier League clash against Manchester City as punishment for comments made during the international break.
Fernandez sparked controversy by expressing his admiration for living in Spain, leading to speculation about his future at Stamford Bridge. Rosenior stated that the Argentine had 'crossed the line' with his remarks and confirmed the decision to sideline him for two matches.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Rosenior said: 'I had a really good chat with Enzo, three or four with him, he's apologised to me and the club. We'll deal with that after a massive game on Sunday.' He added: 'There's a few obstacles we still need to get through but I won't go into that.'
Fernandez's agent, Javier Pastore, initially criticised Chelsea's sanction but has since sought to build bridges with the club hierarchy. 'We're on the same page with Chelsea. We made peace yesterday and the day before between Chelsea and the player. There were never really any problems. We cleared the air,' Pastore said.
Rosenior emphasised that the punishment was necessary despite not questioning Fernandez's character. 'I believe people make mistakes and you can't overstep the punishment for the mistake,' he added.
