Enzo Maresca relieves Josh Acheampong concern after positive Chelsea fitness update | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has lauded Josh Acheampong after offering a positive update on the Chelsea defender's fitness.

The Chelsea head coach's decision to replace Acheampong with Tosin Adarabioyo in the second half of the 2-1 defeat to Sunderland last weekend raised some eyebrows, especially since the teenager was arguably among Chelsea's best performers in the game.

As reported by Bobby Vincent, Maresca confirmed on Tuesday morning that Acheampong was taken off because of cramp.

It clearly had nothing to do with a lack of trust in the young defender, based on Maresca's latest comment about him.

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"We are happy with the way he’s improving and the way he is working every day, but I have been since I arrived, to be honest," Maresca said about Acheampong in Tuesday's press conference.

"If you look back, in the last season, in pre-season in the USA, he played 45 minutes of the first game. So, since day one, I really liked Josh.

"I hope he feels trusted and part of the group, more than what we are showing to him.

"It’s difficult to play in the Champions League and to play from the start in the Premier League, so we show him trust and confidence."

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Acheampong has featured in four of the five games Chelsea have played in October, three of which were as a starter.

Maresca spoke about the need to rotate his centre-backs due to injuries, and so far, Acheampong has done impressively well when given the opportunity.

He is also very good on the ball, a huge plus for a defender in a possession-based team. Tosin even recently argued that Acheampong has an "unmatched" ability to drive with the ball as a defender.