With Chelsea on a decent run of form, fans would have been expecting to see more of Estevao when they welcomed West Ham United to Stamford Bridge. But not only was the Brazilian wonderkid missing from the starting XI, he was not even in the matchday squad. Unsurprisingly, that left fans worried that he had picked up an injury in the game against Napoli in the Champions League.
That does not seem to be the case. Liam Rosenior has provided an update on the real reason why Estevao was left out of the squad against West Ham United.
As reported by ESPN, Estevao was missing from Chelsea's Premier League game with West Ham United due to personal reasons. He has returned to his native Brazil and it is not yet known if he will be available for the upcoming League Cup semi-final second leg against Arsenal or not.
Rosenior said regarding Estevao before the match against West Ham United:
"Unfortunately Este for personal reasons has had to go home. My thoughts are with him and his family at the moment. We wish him well."
Liam Rosenior confirms why Estevao was dropped against West Ham
We would also like to wish Estevao and his family the best. Hopefully, everything is fine and the Brazilian wonderkid is back at the Bridge in no time.
He has been exceptional for Chelsea since making the move from Palmeiras in the summer. Many would have expected the youngster to take some time to adjust, but he has not needed that, putting in some terrific performances against big-name opposition like Barcelona and Arsenal.
Of course, if Chelsea have to be without Estevao for a while, then they will need to find someone capable of replacing his impact from the right flank. Frankly, they might not have anyone with that quality, which just goes to show how good the Brazilian has been that he cannot be replaced by a squad full of internationals.