£30m midfielder not even on the bench amid injury issues – illness or injury to Madueke also likely | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca’s team for today’s game against Fulham is causing a few head scratches.

After a tired performance against Everton at the weekend it was assumed there would be some changes today. Even with injuries in midfield and defence, there’s plenty of scope for some rotation in attack But the same front 3 that started against the Toffees start again today.

Given all that, the players who haven’t even made the bench today must be really worried. If they’re not getting minutes now, when do they get a chance?

In the case of Noni Madueke we can only assume it’s due to illness or injury that he’s left out. Maresca is a fan of his, and there’s no other way the coach would be picking Pedro Neto for a third game in a row if the England player was available. The Portugal winger is the explosive type, who functions much better when fresh. Maresca has never given him starts bunched this close together until now – and that indicates to us that it’s a case of needs must.

Summer signing in major trouble after latest absence

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall looks unhappy in an EFL Cup game. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

One player who must be worried above all is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The whole point of his signing was that he knew Enzo Maresca’s system from their shared time at Leicester, and would be able to slot right in

Instead, today he doesn’t make the bench at all, despite the injuries and need for rotation. This isn’t the first time that’s happened either.

We can probably assume he’s got an issue too – surely there’s no way that Maresca would put two goalkeepers on the bench if a senior outfielder was available?