
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca seemingly already has a replacement lined up for Noni Madueke, whom he dropped from his matchday squad on Boxing Day.
Madueke was axed for the Blues' shock 2-1 defeat to Fulham on Thursday, a decision Maresca described as "technical."
In the weeks leading up to the game, however, the Italian coach had been publicly critical of the English winger's performances both in training and in games.
Amid the ongoing saga surrounding Madueke, Chelsea are now, according to GiveMeSport, "monitoring" US Lecce youngster Patrick Dorgu.
The 20-year-old, who was recently named Denmark's Young Player of the Year, can play in a variety of positions, including right-back and left-back, but has spent most of this season playing on the right wing, where Madueke typically plays for Chelsea.
In 16 Serie A games this term, Dorgu has scored three goals and has impressed with his ability to get up and down the right flank tirelessly.
Speaking about the versatile star after he scored the only goal in Lecce's 1-0 win over Venezia back in November, head coach Marco Giampaolo said, according to Tribal Football: "He is a player who has technical, physical and spirit qualities."
According to GiveMeSport, Tottenham are also keeping tabs on Dorgu, while he's been previously linked with Manchester United.
Madueke could return for Ipswich game
Chelsea are next in action on Monday night when they face newly promoted Ipswich Town, who are currently 19th in the Premier League table.
While Madueke was left out of the game versus Fulham, Maresca said in a press conference earlier this week that the 22-year-old could return to the side for the trip to Portman Road.
"Is he in contention for Ipswich? Yeah, for sure," he said.
Maresca also said that he expects Madueke to respond well to being dropped, the same way he did after being benched for Chelsea's win over Aston Villa at the start of December.
"He responded very good at that time so there is no more than that,” he explained. “I expect the same this time, yeah, absolutely.”
On Saturday, Chelsea's official website shared a photo of Madueke in training, smiling and giving a thumbs-up.
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