Chelsea 'don't want heroes' insists Mauricio Pochettino amid Enzo Fernandez injury battle | OneFootball

Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea "don't need heroes" as he addressed reports that Enzo Fernandez is playing through a painful hernia problem.

The 22-year-old midfielder is enduring an indifferent season amid rumours that he may need surgery to fix his condition in the summer.

However, he has been deemed available to play against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Saturday.

When asked whether Fernandez is playing through injury, Pochettino said: "Enzo has been training really well in the past few days.

“He is going to be part of the team tomorrow and will be involved. We are managing the situation by conversing with the medical staff.

“Of course, yes, it is true that he suffered some problems in the past but he is dealing really well with the situation. We always assess him day by day.

“We need to protect him because he is a young guy, and the present is important, but so is the future.”

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Pochettino was then asked whether the £106.8million signing from Benfica might need surgery in the summer.

“We are going to do what is the best for him,” he continued. “Again, we have experience of managing this situation. First, the most important thing is him as a person, not a player.

“It’s about how he feels and whether he is comfortable with the situation. We will all support his decision (if he feels he needs surgery), but we are not going to force him to do something.

“We are here to help and advise him of our assessment and experience.”