Chelsea chiefs ignored by national team staff over player Enzo Maresca is 'in love with'

Enzo Maresca will watch on anxiously over the next week-and-a-half after Wesley Fofana was declared fit to represent France during the international break.

The Chelsea defender joined up with Les Bleus in September before being sent back to Stamford Bridge as a precaution. This time round, French national team medical staff conducted another series of tests and did not detect any injury concerns, according to reports.

Despite Fofana starting all seven of Chelsea's Premier League games this campaign, L'Equipe claim that the Londoners wanted the 23-year-old to stay in England and avoid risking another flare-up after missing the entirety of last season.

But those wishes have fallen on deaf ears, with France bosses giving Fofana the green light to play in upcoming Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium. The centre-back's only previous senior international cap came in 2023.

He might have had significantly more but for rotten luck with injuries. The Frenchman missed seven months with a broken leg while at Leicester City and virtually a full year due to a cruciate ligament tear at Chelsea.

Fofana returned to fitness in June, just in time to slot into Maresca's pre-season plans as he surveyed his new squad. The Italian made it clear how highly he rates Fofana after last month's 3-1 win at West Ham.

"Wes is a player that I really love," he said. "I am in love with Wes! He is doing fantastic after one year injured and, for any player in the world, when you are out for one year and then you come back, it is not easy, and he is doing top. This is the only thing we want from him."

Maresca will be keeping his fingers crossed for safe returns across the board, as 14 of his first-team players have been called up to senior international squads and four others to represent their nations at youth level.

Christopher Nkunku, who has also had his fair share of bad luck with injuries, will be there to keep a close eye on Fofana with France. Meanwhile the influential trio of Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Levi Colwill have joined up with England.

Joao Felix, Pedro Neto and Renato Veiga could all see action for Portugal, Marc Cucurella and Robert Sanchez have been given the nod by Spain, while Mykhaylo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson have been selected for their own individual trips abroad.