Chelsea have made a shocking start to the season, and their boss could do without this kind of behaviour from his players
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has warned Noni Madueke to get his act together, after the winger was filmed partying while out injured.
Footage recently emerged of Madueke enjoying a night out, despite the England U21 international having missed his club's last three games due to a muscle injury.
And, as a result, Pochettino has firmly laid down the law to the former PSV player – and, indeed, all members of Chelsea's squad.
Noni Madueke (Image credit: Getty Images)
Speaking to reporters ahead of Monday's West London derby away to Fulham, the Blues boss said:
"In my opinion, he [Madueke] is working hard to try and recover. He came back from the [inter]national break 10 days ago. Now he is well. He is trying to be on the same level as the team.
"This video – we were talking about that – it's a thing you need to avoid. All of the players need to know that when you are a player of Chelsea, you need to avoid these things. It wasn't a big issue, but we need to avoid these types of situation. He is recovering from the national team and we will see if he is fit."
Why everybody's WRONG about Chelsea
Madueke joined Chelsea from PSV for a reported £28.5m in January this year and went on to feature 12 times before the end of the 2022/23 season, scoring his first Blues goal in a 3-1 defeat at Arsenal in May.
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The 21-year-old has featured three times so far this term, finding the net from the penalty spot in August's Carabao Cup second round win over AFC Wimbledon.
He has been capped 14 times by England at U21 level, although he could still go on to represent Nigeria in senior international football.
Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
