Soccer-Chelsea's Alonso backs Estevao for bigger role ahead of Man United clash

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FA Cup - Quarter Final - Chelsea v Port Vale - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - April 4, 2026 Chelsea's Estevao celebrates scoring their sixth goal Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo

LONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Chelsea manager Xabi ⁠Alonso said Brazilian teenager Estevao would get opportunities this season and dismissed media ⁠speculation over a January loan move for the forward ahead of Saturday's ‌Premier League clash with Manchester United.

Spaniard Alonso has come under scrutiny over the 19-year-old's lack of playing time, with Chelsea reeling from a 2-0 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur last week and a League Cup fourth-round exit ​on penalties at Liverpool on Wednesday.

Asked at a press conference ⁠on Friday if Estevao could go ⁠out on loan, Alonso said: "No discussions about that.

"The season is long and there will be ⁠moments ‌for everyone. It's a process for the team, for Este, for myself.

"But I'm sure that in the season he'll have his games, his minutes. And we're still ⁠early in the season but he'll be there."

Estevao has only ​started two matches in ‌all competitions so far this season and was an unused substitute against Liverpool.

"It's no ⁠secret that all ​players want to be on the pitch; they want to be playing," Alonso said.

"And when any of them haven't had enough minutes because of my decision, I have to take the responsibility for ⁠that, that they are not as happy as they ​could be."

Fifth-placed Chelsea carry a lengthy injury list into Saturday's home match with under-pressure United, who are 16th.

Forward Joao Pedro and captain Reece James remain sidelined, while defender Maxence Lacroix is expected ⁠to miss a few weeks with a hamstring injury suffered in Wednesday's loss at Anfield.

"Max picked up an injury and we expect he is not going to be ready before the (November 9-17) international break," Alonso said. "He will be a few weeks out."

There was better news ​on midfielder Moises Caicedo, who is available despite being forced ⁠off against Liverpool with a minor issue.Goalkeeper Emi Martinez, meanwhile, could return before the international break ​as he recovers from a jaw injury.

"We still need ‌to wait until next week, but there's a ​chance. In case he (Martinez) is ready to play, he will probably need a face mask," Alonso said.

(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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资料照片：足球 - 足总杯 - 四分之一决赛 - 切尔西对阵维尔港 - 斯坦福桥球场，伦敦，英国 - 2026年4月4日 - 切尔西球员埃斯特旺庆祝打入球队第六球。（图片来源：路透社/保罗·查尔兹/资料照片）

伦敦，10 月 30 日（路透社）——切尔西主教练哈维·阿隆索表示，巴西少年埃斯特旺本赛季将获得机会，并驳斥了媒体关于这位前锋在 1 月份租借加盟的猜测。切尔西将于周六与曼联进行英超联赛。

西班牙小将阿隆索因缺乏上场时间而受到密切关注，这位19岁的球员上周在主场0-2负于托特纳姆热刺，周三又在联赛杯第四轮点球大战中被利物浦淘汰，切尔西目前处境艰难。

周五的新闻发布会上，当被问及埃斯特旺是否有可能被租借出去时，阿隆索说：“没有关于这方面的讨论。”

“赛季很漫长，每个人都会有属于自己的高光时刻。这对球队、对埃斯特、对我个人来说都是一个过程。”

“但我相信，在这个赛季里，他肯定会获得上场机会和出场时间。虽然现在赛季才刚刚开始，但他肯定会出现在赛场上。”

埃斯特旺本赛季至今在各项赛事中仅首发过两场比赛，并且在对阵利物浦的比赛中没有获得出场机会。

“所有球员都想上场比赛，这已不是什么秘密，”阿隆索说道。

“如果我的决定导致他们中有人上场时间不够，我必须承担责任，让他们没有像他们本应有的那样开心。”

排名第五的切尔西带着长长的伤病名单进入周六的主场比赛，对手是排名第十六、压力巨大的曼联。

前锋若昂·佩德罗和队长里斯·詹姆斯仍然因伤缺阵，而后卫马克桑斯·拉克鲁瓦预计将因周三在安菲尔德的失利中腿筋受伤而缺席几周。

阿隆索说：“马克斯受伤了，我们预计他无法在（11月9日至17日）国际比赛日之前复出。他将缺席几周。”

关于中场球员莫伊塞斯·凯塞多传来好消息，尽管他在对阵利物浦的比赛中因轻伤被迫离场，但他目前可以出战。与此同时，门将埃米·马丁内斯正在从下颚伤势中恢复，有望在国际比赛日之前复出。

“我们还需要等到下周，但还是有机会的。如果他（马丁内斯）准备好上场，他可能需要戴面罩，”阿隆索说道。

（卡兰·普拉尚特·萨克塞纳在班加罗尔报道；肯·费里斯编辑）

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