Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has revealed he issued a warning to striker Marc Guiu about his poor training performances just weeks before the teenager scored his first goal of the season.
The 19-year-old Spaniard found the net in Chelsea’s 5-1 Champions League victory over Ajax on Wednesday, a significant moment after a turbulent start to his campaign. Guiu’s season-long loan to Sunderland was cut short at the end of the summer transfer window, with the striker recalled to London after just three appearances following a hamstring injury to fellow forward Liam Delap.
After returning to Chelsea, Guiu did not feature for a month until a brief substitute appearance against Liverpool. Speaking ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match against Sunderland, Maresca explained the conversation that prompted the striker’s recent improvement.
“We had a chat with Marc two weeks ago. I told him I didn’t like the way he was training, and he needed to change,” Maresca said. “He changed, and he gets a chance. It is like that. He was not training well, in all the ways.”
The manager noted a significant turnaround since their discussion, adding: “Since we chat, he is top, fantastic, working very good. Absolutely yes, he is ready to start. Marc is a typical number nine, physically strong, a box player. He can improve… and we are working with him every day.”
Guiu had previously described the abrupt end to his Sunderland loan as “a bit chaotic” but stated he was “facing everything with the utmost positivity.”
While speculation suggested Guiu could return to Sunderland in January, manager Regis Le Bris seemed to dismiss the idea on Friday, telling reporters, “At the minute we have good strikers and we don’t need anything.” Maresca remained non-committal about a potential winter move, stating that in football, “things can change very quick.”
In other team news, Liam Delap has returned to full training. Maresca indicated the £30 million signing from Ipswich Town could be in contention for Wednesday’s EFL Cup tie at Wolves.
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