Chelsea centre-back Wesley Fofana has praised manager Enzo Maresca for the manner in which he has managed him on his return from injury.
The once-capped France international has been plagued by injuries since joining the Blues from Leicester City for £70 million in 2022. He made only 29 appearances in the Premier League in the three seasons prior to this one and missed the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign due to an ACL injury.
Fofana has been making progress after recovering from surgery on his hamstring earlier this year; he’s started each of Chelsea‘s last two league matches, which seen them defeat Spurs and Wolves while keeping a clean sheet.
“The best feeling is when you can be on the pitch and help the team win games,” Fofana told the official Chelsea website.
“Helping the team, this is the nicest feeling. I feel very good now. I’m working hard to stay fit, to stay strong and to continue to help the team win.”
Chelsea man Fofana lauds Maresca following injury comeback
Maresca has been carefully managing Fofana’s minutes, something the defender appreciates as he works towards becoming a regular starter for the team.
“In football it’s hard to take your time because there is a game every three days, but he [Maresca] protects me and he pushes me in a good way,” Fofana said.
“I had hamstring surgery and you need to be careful when you come back. He doesn’t take risks with me because he wants, step by step, for me to be able to play every three days.
“The target is to play every game; we need to carefully progress step by step towards that. Also, he protects me because of the type of player I am: aggressive, fast, not scared to have duels on the pitch. I understand it, and it’s what I feel as well. I agree with it. The most important is to continue to progress.”
