Chelsea chief Enzo Maresca has once again showcased his strict approach by confirming that yet another Blues player has been excluded from the squad. Maresca dropped Renato Veiga, the Portugal international, from the Boxing Day match against Fulham.

This follows a similar decision regarding England winger who also found himself out of the matchday squad. Explaining both omissions, Maresca cited "technical" reasons.

Despite being a £12million signing and consistently present in the team with seven showings, 21-year-old Veiga's absence meant Chelsea had to fill the bench with a handful of youngsters. However, stressed that he expects a strong response from the two players and sees them as contenders for Monday's game versus Ipswich, affirming he won't hold any grudges.

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Maresca said: “For sure, the competition has to be higher but not only for Noni Madueke but also Renato Veiga was not in the squad and the reason is exactly the same for both of them. There is not any different reason, it’s just a technical decision.”

Madueke, previously subjected to Maresca's candid feedback earlier in the season for his "consistency" during training sessions, seems to be experiencing some tough love from the Chelsea boss, reports . Earlier this month, Maresca made the tough call to bench Madueke after a single subpar training session, a decision that seemed to spark a fire as the Chelsea winger came back to score in the following 5-1 thrashing of Southampton.

Addressing the squad's reaction and potential for the upcoming Ipswich match, Maresca confirmed the possibility of returns. “Sometimes we just take a decision and it’s no more than that,” the Italian said. “Yeah, for sure.”

He went on to disclose that Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was sidelined by injury for the Fulham fixture, but he expects a similar bounce-back from the other players as seen with Madueke earlier in the month. He said: "He was very good, fantastic and he responded very good at that time so there is no more than that. I expect the same this time, yeah absolutely."

Meanwhile, England star Cole Palmer says that the Fulham defeat shows they still have a long way to go before being title contenders but they must respond against Ipswich. Palmer added: "It’s a good opportunity to learn, rest, recover, and play in three days.

“We just keep going now. We knew we weren’t going to win every single game we play. It’s the manager’s first season with us and we’re learning. Everyone has said from the start we’re not a title contender, we’re just playing, winning, getting better as a team, growing, and that’s what we’re doing.”