David Luiz’s future at Chelsea is in the balance after Antonio Conte failed to provide guarantees the defender would remain at the club.
The Brazilian was omitted from the Chelsea squad for the 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday.
It followed rumours of a falling out between the pair, although before the match Conte said the decision was purely tactical. Andreas Christensen played instead and 17-year-old Ethan Ampadu was on the bench.
Conte repeated the tactical reason again after the match.
‘It was a tactical decision and for me today Christensen played a fantastic game with focus and spirit,’ Conte told Sky Sports. ‘He is 22 but shows a great personality for sure. Christensen is the future for Chelsea. Ampadu is only 17. I trust in these two young players.’
When asked if Luiz, who looked in good spirits during the match as he sat behind the dugout, had a future at Chelsea, Conte replied: ‘I don’t know. He has to work really hard otherwise they are on the bench or in the stands.’
He added in his post-match press conference: ‘I think that I have a squad, a squad with 16 senior players and five young players and I have these players and then I have to make the best decision for the team and I try to do this.
‘You’re talking about the future but every day you put my future in… It’s normal that from now until the end, every game, every day sometimes, someone puts my future in question.’
When it was put to him that he said Luiz was his best player a few weeks ago, Conte replied: ‘It can change.’
Luiz returned to Chelsea from Paris St Germain in the summer of 2016 and was a mainstay in defence as the Blues won the title last season.
Chelsea 2017/18 Fixtures
Newcastle (A) - Sun May 13
Conte added a warning to his other players.
‘It’s normal, this can happen to every one of my players. If I see they are not in good form, it’s normal. I have to put in every situation my face and sometimes I make important decisions.’
Graeme Souness said it was a risky decision from Conte to drop Luiz.
‘You can do it if you’re in a position of strength but it was a huge call. If that had gone wrong you can bet it would have been mentioned.
‘Something has obviously happened which has upset the manager greatly. He’s won today without him, a reminder to everyone in that dressing room who’s the boss.’
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