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Enzo Fernandez has dropped an early team new hint ahead of Chelsea's clash against Tottenham Hotspur. The Lilywhites will welcome Mauricio Pochettino's side to north London on Monday night in what is expected to be a fiery affair.
The 22-year-old midfielder has posted pre-match graphic preview of the tie to his Instagram stories which, historically, suggests that he will be involved in some capacity. Fernandez was absent from the matchday squad last weekend when the Blues lost 2-0 to Brentford at Stamford Bridge, so a potential return would serve as a huge boost.
The Argentina international, who had recently announced the birth of his newborn son, and Mykhailo Mudryk were both spotted in training in the lead up up to the Bees game, but they missed out after suffering muscle injuries. Speaking last month, Pochettino said: "Both Enzo and Misha felt something in training yesterday, small muscle injuries for them both.
"We hoped they would be okay to be in the squad but unfortunately they aren't quite ready. Neither of them are big issues but we didn't want to take any risks.
"With Enzo especially, he and his partner have just had a baby so maybe that was a reason why he was a little uncomfortable yesterday. He will now rest and recover and hopefully be back with the team as soon as possible."
Fast forward a week or so and Fernandez looks set to finally make his return to the matchday squad, according to his recent social media activity. Ahead of what is poised to be a 'really tough' test for Chelsea, Pochettino previewed his return to his former club.
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"Like always, we need to pay attention to our opponent like happened last game against Blackburn or Brentford," said the Blues boss. "You cannot underestimate the opponent. Always our mentality is to see in which area we need to improve. It's going to be a really tough opponent."
Then, when asked what it would mean to bring Tottenham's unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign to an end, Pochettino replied: "If you remember I say clubs I'll never manage was Arsenal because I considered them the worst enemy of Tottenham and Barcelona because of Espanyol.
"It's strange to come back because always the feeling after four years, it's going to be, for me, a happy day but that is life and we need to move on. We are professional but at the same time we are human.
"I was talking with Adrian [Chelsea press officer], we were talking about the four months we are working together and creating some links and maybe we spend five or six years together, if after I move or if I'm sacked why are we going to forget our relationship? Sometimes up and down, good and bad but we cannot forget. That is how we build our history."
While Fernandez has posted a pre-match preview of the Tottenham fixture to his Instagram story, it does not necessarily mean he will start , but it usually means that he will be involved in some capacity. Follow our live coverage of the game in our blog here from 4pm.
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