“Not in the squad because” – Enzo Maresca reveals why Jamie Gittens missed Newcastle game | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has revealed why Jamie Gittens wasn’t part of the squad for last weekend’s draw against Newcastle.

Gittens’ absence from the match day squad was noticeable, but until now no reason had been given as to why he missed the game.

The Blues fought back from an awful first half which saw them 2-0 down to draw 2-2 and take a point back to London.

Enzo Maresca confirms why Jamie Gittens missed Newcastle game

Gittens was one of five attacking signings in the summer, and the Blues paid an initial £48.5m to Borussia Dortmund for the 21-year-old.

The England under-21 international is competing for minutes on the left wing with Alejandro Garnacho, but has struggled for regular game time.

Gittens has struggled for regular game time this season. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Gittens scored his first Chelsea goal against Wolves in the Carabao Cup, and has five assists and one goal in 20 appearances in all competitions.

Maresca believes Gittens and Garnacho are similar, but it’s the Argentine who has made the left wing spot his own so far.

Gittens has got plenty of work to do, but Maresca has confirmed he’s available for Saturday’s game against Aston Villa.

“Jamie was not in the squad [vs Newcastle] because the day before, in the final training session, he had a problem in his shoulder,” he told Chelsea’s website.

“He is back now though and is okay for Villa.”

Jorrel Hato to miss Aston Villa game

Whilst Gittens is available, Maresca confirmed Jorrel Hato will miss the game after picking up an injury in the warm up last weekend.

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Hato arrived from Ajax last summer as an alternative to Marc Cucurella at left back, but has struggled for regular minutes.

The Dutch international still needs time to adapt, and will likely be handed more opportunities to show what he can do over the second half of the season.