Enzo Maresca has issued a caution to Jadon Sancho ahead of his possible Chelsea debut.
Sancho made a surprising loan switch to Stamford Bridge on deadline day, which includes an obligation to buy, marking the end of his troubled time at Manchester United.
United had invested £73 million in the winger in 2021, but he managed to score just 12 goals and provide six assists over 83 appearances.
His time at Old Trafford effectively ended a year ago when manager Erik ten Hag excluded him from the first team following a public disagreement.
The fallout occurred after Ten Hag claimed Sancho was left out of a matchday squad due to poor training performances, an assertion Sancho challenged on social media.
Now 24, Sancho is looking to revive his career in west London. However, if he expected Maresca to be more lenient than Ten Hag in training, the new manager quickly dismissed that notion.
Before Sancho’s possible debut against Bournemouth on Saturday night, Maresca revealed what he had told him and fellow newcomer Joao Felix prior to their transfers.
‘Before they joined the club, I had a chat with them, and one of my messages to them was if you come here and don’t work properly then you are not going to play,’ Maresca said.
‘Before they arrived, the message for them was clear. For Jadon. For Joao.
‘But the reason why I’m speaking to you is because I really like you. If you come here in the way that we want, we are happy.
‘But if you come there and don’t work hard, it’s better if you don’t come.’
And it seems that message got through to the England international, with Maresca saying: ‘I don’t have any idea about what happened with Erik. I can just judge the player in the weeks he has been with us and he has been perfect.
‘I don’t consider Jadon a risk because I consider Jadon as a player who can help us. With the way we play he is that kind of player to help us a lot, especially in the last third when we arrive there so many times and need more quality, more patience, more accuracy.
‘I love Jadon, I love the players we have. The reason Jadon is here is because I love him, otherwise he would not be here.’
