Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior doesn't want to put too much pressure on Wesley Fofana following serious injuries that have hindered the defender's previous two campaigns.
The France international was rested when the Blues endured a defensive howler to hand Leeds an equaliser during Tuesday evening's 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Last week he completed 90 minutes in the side's Carabao Cup semi-final loss to Arsenal and the Premier League victory over Wolves, the first occasion since November he had finished consecutive matches played three days apart.
An anterior cruciate ligament injury forced him to miss the whole of the 2023/24 season whilst the previous campaign was also severely disrupted by a hamstring issue which necessitated surgery.
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Josh Acheampong started in his position against Leeds and was part of the defensive confusion that allowed Jayden Bogle to set up Noah Okafor to score as Chelsea were caught out having dominated until that point.
Defending the decision to omit Fofana, Rosenior said: "I think you can over analyse. It doesn't matter who was on the pitch in that moment, we should have dealt with that situation. We're talking about isolated incidents that have cost us two points.
"Wes has had injury issues. I want to make sure he doesn't break down again. Always you want consistency in your back line. I'm sure we'll get there in the end."
Fofana has clocked up 24 appearances across all competitions this season, marking his most prolific single campaign since his transfer from Leicester in 2022.
"For the first time in a long time he played back-to-back from midweek to the weekend," Rosenior commented. "That's a really positive sign. The aim with every player is to build them to a point where they can play every game. We're not quite there yet."
Further alterations to the defensive line-up are anticipated when Chelsea face Hull, Rosenior's former club, in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday. Marc Cucurella will be absent due to injury, paving the way for young Jorrel Hato to likely start.
The match marks Rosenior's first return to Hull since his dismissal in May 2024, after guiding the club to seventh place in the Championship.
Tigers owner Acun Ilicali justified the decision as being related to the team's lack of attacking football under Rosenior's management, which he preferred.
This was the 41 year old's inaugural permanent role in senior management, following which he managed Strasbourg for 18 months before taking the helm at Stamford Bridge in January.
"Without Hull, without the experience of being there as a player and as a manager, I wouldn't be sat here," Rosenior reflected. "I've got a lot to thank the club for. I had some amazing times there, both as a player and as a coach.
"It's a great club, great people, great fans, a great city. It's going to be an emotional one for me to go back.
"This is going to be a difficult game and I want to do well in this competition. I don't see it any different to a Premier League or Champions League games. We'll go with a team that I think will be good enough to win the game."
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