Liam Rosenior says Estevao under no time pressure to return from Chelsea compassionate leave | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior said Estevao will not be pressured to return to the club after flying to Brazil on Saturday.

The 18-year-old returned home after being given compassionate leave to deal with a personal matter and is unlikely to be available for Tuesday's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg away to Arsenal.

He is in his first season in England after moving from Sao Paulo in the summer where he played for boyhood club Palmeiras.

Asked about a possible return date, Rosenior said: "I don't know yet. He's a young kid who has come and been magnificent.

"He's going through a really difficult time for personal reasons, he's on compassionate leave. I won't put any pressure on. It has to be right for him and he has to feel like he's in the right place to perform."

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Estevao is on compassionate leave after flying home to Brazil (Action Images via Reuters)

A source of much promise and expectation since his arrival, he has scored six goals in 29 appearances and would have been likely to feature on Tuesday at the Emirates.

Chelsea trail 3-2 on aggregate as they seek to reach a third Carabao Cup final in five seasons.

"The reality is Arsenal are favourites for the tie," said Rosenior. "They're a goal up and they're at home. They'll expect to go through. We need to take it as far as we can.

"The second half hopefully will be massive in turning the tie around."

Rosenior is also set to be without Jamie Gittens who went off during the first half of Saturday's win over West Ham with a suspected hamstring injury, although the extent is yet to be determined.

The winger was one of four players taken off prior to the start of the second half as the manager rowed back on his decision to make seven changes to his starting line-up.

Chelsea were awful in the first period and trailed 2-0 before regular starters came off the bench to seal a 3-2 win, with the former Strasbourg and Hull boss refusing to blame his second string for a lacklustre showing.

"I don't have a best XI," he said. "I never have done at all in all of the clubs I've worked with. The physical demands of the Premier League or Ligue 1 or the Championship now, you need a squad. You need to use the players in the correct way to challenge over the course of the season.

"I've been in for three-and-a-half weeks, I'm just getting to know the players. I don't have a best XI in my mind. I try and pick the right starting team but I also try and pick a bench that will give us the right finishing team as well.