Liam Rosenior explains Estevao's surprise Chelsea absence vs West Ham
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Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has commented on Estevao's surprise absence in the 3-2 Premier League win over West Ham on Saturday.
Estevao featured as a starter in Chelsea's last two games, the two wins over Crystal Palace and Napoli, so his omission from the match day squad against West Ham came as a surprise.
Instead, Rosenior named Jamie Gittens as the starting right winger, although, unfortunately, he only stayed on the pitch for about 26 minutes before forced off with an apparent injury.
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Rosenior said that Estevao missed the game because he had to return to Brazil.
"Unfortunately, Este, for personal reasons, has had to go home," Rosenior said before the game.
"My thoughts are with him and his family at the moment. We wish him well."
It remains unclear how long the Brazil international will be out for.
Obviously, Chelsea hope that the young winger could be back in time for the upcoming Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg clash with Arsenal on Tuesday.
Chelsea still have Pedro Neto or even Cole Palmer as options for the right flank.
Still, it is always a good thing to have Estevao's ability to beat defenders as an option, especially since Chelsea will need to overcome a goal deficit from the first leg to reach the final.
Additionally, depending on Gittens' injury situation, Pedro Neto might have to cover the left flank as well.
Estevao had featured in five of Rosenior's first six games at Chelsea prior to the derby with West Ham, which speaks volumes about his importance to the team.
Fortunately for Chelsea, despite the poor first-half performance against West Ham, they managed to secure a 3-2 comeback win after Rosenior's decisive substitutions at half-time.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.