Enzo Fernandez has captained Chelsea 17 times this season and was recently dropped following comments about his future. | Photo Credit: AFP

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has returned to full training and is available for selection for Saturday’s Premier League home match against Manchester United after being dropped for disciplinary reasons, manager Liam Rosenior said on Thursday.

The 25-year-old Argentina World Cup winner was omitted from the squad for the 7-0 win over League One side Port Vale in the FA Cup quarterfinals and last week’s 3-0 Premier League defeat to second-placed Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

Fernandez, who had been wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of the injured Reece James, had previously said he would assess his future after the World Cup and expressed a desire to live in Madrid, comments for which he later apologised.

“Enzo has been with the group and has been training very well,” Rosenior told reporters on Thursday. “So, it’s business as usual in terms of selection for the game.

“In terms of his training and his application, Enzo has been excellent as well.”

ALSO READ: Man United’s Maguire to miss Chelsea trip after one-match ban for misconduct

Rosenior also provided updates on defender Trevoh Chalobah, who has not played since the second leg of Chelsea’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, and on James, who has been sidelined since the loss to Newcastle United in March.

“Trevoh trained today but not fully; it was modified training,” Rosenior said. “We’ll make a decision on him, but he is very close. Reece is a little further away.”

Chelsea is sixth on 48 points, four behind Liverpool in the Champions League places, having won only one of its last five Premier League matches. Victory over third-placed United would help close the gap in the race for the top five.

“You focus on what you can control, which is our performance,” Rosenior said. “You make sure the attitude, the energy and the application to the game are right. I expect a good performance on Saturday.”

Published on Apr 16, 2026