Chelsea make the traditionally tricky trip to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon where they will lock horns with Manchester United for the first time this season.
The Red Devils enjoyed an interim manager bounce midweek in the Carabao Cup while Chelsea were losing at Newcastle United, and the Blues will be cautious heading to a rejuvenated Old Trafford at the weekend.
Enzo Maresca was able to make sweeping changes to his starting lineup midweek to keep his premium talents fresh for the journey north, but Jadon Sancho will not be among the travelling Blues.
But why is Sancho unavailable for Sunday’s duel?
Sancho was a surprise acquisition for Chelsea late in the summer transfer window and the England international arrived from Man Utd. However, because the move was an initial loan deal, Sancho is unavailable to face his parent club in the Premier League due to Football Association rules.
Chelsea have an obligation to sign Sancho at the end of his season-long loan deal but he won’t be able to play in either of the Blues’ fixtures with Man Utd in the league this season. This, however, doesn’t apply in the FA Cup if the two sides are to meet in the competition.
Sancho may not be an enormous miss for Chelsea having missed the last three matches entirely for the Blues. He was an unused substitute in last weekend’s win over Newcastle in the Premier League and wasn’t named in the squad midweek.
This rule will benefit Chelsea next weekend when Arsenal visit Stamford Bridge. The Gunners won’t be able to use Chelsea loanee Raheem Sterling in that clash.
Fortunately for Maresca, Sancho is one of just two absentees in the Chelsea squad. The other is summer recruit and academy player Omari Kellyman, who is unavailable with a hamstring injury but wouldn’t have featured anyway.
After making wholesale changes against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup defeat midweek, Maresca sought to put Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Levi Colwill and Moises Caicedo straight back into the starting lineup.
Man Utd, meanwhile, have their fair share of injuries, though, including former Cobham graduate Mason Mount.
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