Chelsea: Enzo Fernandez apologises but remains out for Manchester City test
chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez will stay out of Sunday’s Premier League match against Manchester City despite apologising for recent comments about Madrid, head coach Liam Rosenior said. The club is keeping the original internal sanction in place after a week of back-and-forth over whether the punishment might be reduced. The decision leaves chelsea without Fernandez for a major home fixture at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Rosenior pointing to unresolved issues before any return.
Fernandez stays sidelined for Sunday in ET
Rosenior said Fernandez has apologised to both him and the club, but the midfielder will not be involved against Manchester City. The punishment was set at two matches after Fernandez gave an interview during the international break in which he expressed admiration for Madrid, a comment that triggered the internal ban.
His agent, Javier Pastore, said this week that the matter had been cleared up with chelsea and that the club could have reduced the sanction to one match. That did not happen. Rosenior confirmed the original decision stands, and the Argentina international remains unavailable for Sunday’s Premier League fixture.
What Rosenior said about chelsea’s decision
Rosenior described the situation as serious and said he had multiple conversations with Fernandez. “He’s apologised to me, he’s apologised to the club, and we’ll deal with that after a massive game on Sunday, ” the chelsea head coach said.
He also said he was not “shooting myself in the foot” by keeping Fernandez out, adding that there are still “hurdles” to clear before the midfielder returns. Rosenior declined to spell out those issues, saying there are still “things in the air” that need to be resolved before he can make a clear statement.
Team context and what comes next
chelsea are sixth in the Premier League, one point behind Liverpool, who hold the fifth and final Champions League qualification place. Rosenior said he expects Fernandez to be available for Manchester United’s visit to Stamford Bridge on 18 April, which would mark the next key step in the situation.
For now, chelsea must prepare for Manchester City without Fernandez and also without Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill, who remain unavailable for the match. The immediate focus is Sunday, but the wider issue around chelsea and Fernandez is not fully closed, and the club’s next update will likely come after the City game and before the visit from Manchester United.
