Enzo Maresca eyes potential Pedro Neto solution as Trevoh Chalobah increases Chelsea's injury problems | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca is continuing to find selection solutions as he deals with Chelsea's injury problems.

Chelsea are currently without Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Romeo Lavia, Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu all due to injury, with several hoped to be back following the conclusion of the March international break.

Their problems were added to during their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League at Villa Park. Trevoh Chalobah limped off early in the first-half and he was assessed at their Cobham training base on Monday.

Although Maresca confirmed it is a minor injury, Chalobah will miss the Southampton clash on Tuesday night and is likely to miss the Conference League Round of 16 first leg against FC Copenhagen next Thursday.

Tosin Adarabioyo (pictured) will be pushing for a starting role in Chalobah's absence. / IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

"He had a check yesterday (Sunday) and it will be around one week or 10 days," revealed Maresca on Monday morning during his pre-Southampton press conference.

"On one side it is good because it is not an important injury and on the other side, it is a shame because we lose another player in this moment with the number of injuries we have."

Despite defeat against Aston Villa, there were plenty of positives, which Maresca recognised. Goalscorer Enzo Fernandez and Reece James were praised by the Chelsea head coach, while Pedro Neto filled the void of Jackson's absence to lead the line.

Neto proved a viable option for Chelsea and it showed when he assisted Fernandez's opener after nine minutes to give them an early lead in the Midlands.

IMAGO / Sportsphoto

After a positive display, Maresca is open to continuing to use the Portugal international in the central role until Jackson returns at some point in April.

"Yeah, could be a good option," responded Maresca when asked if Neto could be a solution for Chelsea in the number nine role. "We tried with Pedro days before the game and we see that he can do that. It was a positive one. The performance in general was positive.

"Some players, Enzo was fantastic, even Reece after a long time (playing) 90 minutes, struggled in some moments but it is normal - overall, his performance was very good. Pedro, with the Nico and Marc Guiu injury, could be a good option for us."