Maresca provides Liam Delap injury update ahead of UCL clash

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that striker Liam Delap is set to return to first-team training as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Delap, who joined the Blues from Ipswich Town in a £30million summer move, has been sidelined since suffering the problem during Chelsea's 2-0 Premier League win over Fulham on August 30.

The 22-year-old was initially expected to be out for 12 weeks, but his recovery appears to be progressing faster than expected.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea's Champions League clash with Ajax, Maresca revealed the striker could join the team's training in the coming days.

“Liam is very close,” Maresca said. “He is not working with us yet, he is still away but I hope he can start in the next few days to participate in the session with us.”

Delap's injury forced Chelsea into a late tussle at the end of the transfer window, with the club attempting to prevent Nicolas Jackson's move to Bayern Munich.

When that decision was made, Chelsea recalled Marc Guiu from his loan spell at Sunderland and ultimately decided not to sell Tyrique George to Fulham despite an agreed £22 million deal.

With Joao Pedro suspended following his red card against Benfica, Maresca admitted he has decisions to make on who will lead the line against Ajax.

“We have it [Marc]we also have Tyrique who has played nine-man games in the past,” he said. “He has done well. He played I think against Benfica in nine. We have different options. We have one more session this afternoon and then we decide.

“We trust Marc. We already have confidence last year, he was still playing in the Conference [League]. We also gave him a few Premier League games so we show in the past that we trust Marc. Now he is with us again and he will definitely play games.

Delap has not played since August but could provide much-needed depth to Chelsea's attacking options as Maresca's side look to maintain their European push.

The Italian coach also addressed Chelsea's recent disciplinary record after Malo Gusto's dismissal against Nottingham Forest marked the club's fifth red card in six matches.

“It’s definitely something we can do better,” Maresca said. “I think some red cards we could avoid. For example, Malo's is completely avoidable. It's 3-0, the match is over.

“But also, on the other side, they don't want to concede, they want to continue to be aggressive. Of course, when you concede five or six red cards, there is something that we have to improve and it is something that we will definitely improve.

“[But] Personally, I'm not the type of manager to punish players. I don't think this is the right way to do things. I prefer to help them understand and then do the right things.

Maresca compared his approach to player management to the way he handles parenting, adding: “I have four kids. When they do something wrong, I don't punish them. I try to push them to do the right things and I try to treat the players the same.”

Meanwhile, Enzo Fernández could return to the squad after recovering from an inflammation in his right knee picked up during his time with Argentina.