Liam Rosenior lifts lid on Enzo Fernandez saga and insists there is 'nothing personal'

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Liam Rosenior is set to recall Enzo Fernandez into the Chelsea squad following his club-imposed suspension. The Argentine was banned internally following comments he made about potentially moving to Madrid.

The situation was then worsened by his agent Javier Pastore hitting out at the decision to suspend the former Benfica man. And despite confirming that Fernandez had apologised, the Chelsea boss stuck by his decision to exclude him for the defeat to Manchester City .

But Rosenior has now confirmed that the midfielder will return next week. Speaking after Sunday’s 3-0 reverse , he said: "Any team will miss Enzo. Myself backed by the leadership group and sporting directors made a decision for the long-term of the club.

"There's nothing personal with Enzo. He will be back with the group on Tuesday. He is a top, top player and a really good guy. Really looking forward to having him back."

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Asked if there were any unresolved issues, Rosenior added: "The hurdle I spoke about. Enzo wanted to have a conversation with the leadership group - the main players of the group - and speak to the players.

“The time I had the press conference, he hadn't done that yet. He has spoken with me, the leadership group and all of the players and we look forward to welcoming him back."

Meanwhile, Rosenior appeared to admit that things might have been different had Fernandez been available against City. Speaking in his post-match press conference, he said: “Possibly. Possibly, in hindsight, you see 20-20 in hindsight. Enzo's a top player and honestly he's a top character and I'm looking forward to having him back next week.

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“Sometimes you make decisions not based on the short-term, you make decisions based on what you want to see long-term. And it was a long-term decision that myself and the directors and the club aligned and the leadership group of players that we made to make sure that our values and our culture in the long-term is in the right place.

“But Enzo has had the conversations he's needed to have. He's been fantastic in the last few days in supporting myself and the team and I can't wait to have him back in the squad.”

Chelsea’s defeat to Man City leaves them sixth in the Premier League and four points behind Liverpool in the race to secure the final Champions League spot. They are back in action next weekend as they welcome Manchester United to Stamford Bridge.