Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has suggested that Dario Essugo has suffered a setback in his bid to return from injury.

Essugo has been out of action with a thigh injury since September, picking up the issue while with Portugal Under-21s, which required an operation.

Blues boss Maresca revealed on Friday that the young midfielder has returned to training ahead of schedule, after earlier reports of a possible return in early 2026.

With fellow midfielder Moises Caicedo now banned for three matches for his red card against Arsenal, Essugo being ready to build up his match fitness was seen as very timely.

But Maresca says Essugo "needs to slow down", telling reporters on Tuesday: "Everyone is fine. Romeo [Lavia] is still trying to recover.

"Dario, he was OK. He has started some sessi

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