Chelsea coaches are struggling to find a position for Ben Chilwell, as his skillset is not seen as entirely suited to Enzo Maresca’s system of choice, casting doubt on the England full-back’s future.

Chilwell excels when bombing down the left-hand side, but Maresca’s full-backs are expected to move into midfield, a role that doesn’t play to Chilwell’s strengths.

The 27-year-old went unused in Chelsea’s last friendly – a 4-1 loss to Celtic – and has been linked with being sold this summer amid concerns that he would struggle inverting.

Although considered a good character to have in the dressing room, and under contract until 2027, Chelsea’s pre-season preparations have indicated he would not be a preferred choice in the upcoming campaign.

Maresca spoke with journalists in Atlanta about Chilwell, saying: ‘Chilly is a left-back, for sure. I see him as I’ve always seen him like a left full-back.’

Ben Chilwell has been linked with a move away this summer due to Enzo Maresca’s arrival

Maresca’s system is not seen as suitable for Chilwell as his full-backs are expected to move into midfield

When asked if Chilwell can invert, Maresca continued: ‘His situation is a bit delicate in terms of we are trying to find a solution for him in terms of position. But he probably needs a bit of time. Delicate in terms of finding the right position for him.’

‘We want players that can perform 100 per cent and for sure in these two or three weeks, Malo (Gusto) and Reece (James) can both do the work required of them and both finish with more assists or more dangerous in the way they were being used in the past because in that position they are good enough to make last passes because their quality, they are both very good.’

Other options for Chelsea at left back include Marc Cucurella, who performed exceptionally at Euro 2024, as well as Renato Veiga and Levi Colwill.