Joao Felix will not be in the Chelsea squad that faces Manchester City today.
That is because the Portuguese has been granted compassionate leave and is set to fly home following a family bereavement.
Chelsea travel to City looking to boost their push for a top-four finish in the Premier League, in a match that sees Enzo Maresca take on his old mentor Pep Guardiola.
However, Felix will not be able to feature, having appeared 12 times in the Premier League this season following his £46.3million summer move from Atletico Madrid.
Most of those appearances have come as a substitute as the 25-year-old playmaker has been behind Cole Palmer in the No 10 pecking order.
That has seen him linked with a potential move away this month.


Speaking yesterday, Blues head coach Enzo Maresca delved into the reasons behind Felix’s limited game time this season and labelled him as ‘fantastic’.
‘For sure, Joao is a Chelsea player,’ said Maresca.
‘The problem, unfortunately, for Joao and Christo [Nkunku], the manager plays most of the games with one attacking midfielder and that is Cole Palmer.
‘We have decided to play with an attacking midfielder in most of the games, so this is the reason why Joao and Christo struggle to get minutes – not for any different reasons because they are both fantastic players, fantastic guys who work well.
‘The reason why is only because most of the games I decide to play with one attacking midfielder in terms of balance. This is the reason why.’
Pushed on whether Felix could leave before the transfer window slammed shut, Maresca added: ‘I am not saying that, I am not saying that.
‘I am saying that I like both but the reason why they struggle is because most of the time I play with one attacking midfielder.’
Chelsea will also be without Romeo Lavia due to injury. The former City academy graduate is not expected back until March.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk