Chelsea interim manager Calum McFarlane has insisted the club must manage Levi Colwill carefully after his recent return from a serious injury lay-off, ahead of Tuesday’s London derby against Tottenham.
The 23-year-old defender, who has broken into the senior England set-up, started back-to-back fixtures against Anfield and in Saturday’s FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City. Those appearances marked his first two starts of the season following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
With a rapid three-day turnaround before facing local rivals Tottenham at Stamford Bridge, McFarlane admitted that the centre-back’s workload needs strict monitoring before a final decision is made on his involvement.
“We need to be careful with Levi,” McFarlane said at his pre-match press conferemve.
“He’s obviously coming off the back of a very serious injury. He’s performed well in those two games. We’ll see how he looks today, we’ll see how he reports, and we’ll make a decision on that. But definitely, I agree we have to manage him right.”
Colwill’s return has provided a significant tactical boost for the Blues, offering the direct line-breaking distribution from deep that Chelsea have lacked for large stretches of the campaign.
McFarlane highlighted the immense upside of having the academy graduate back at his disposal, both on and off the pitch, as the squad prepares for its final home match of the season.
“It’s been great to have Levi back—great for English football as well,” he added. “I think we’ve got a really, really talented, really high-potential player here.
“Injuries are a part of it, and he’s shown really good mental strength and character to come through that and perform away at Anfield and in an FA Cup final. So yeah, really, really excited about Levi. He’s added a lot to the team, not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well. It’s been a brilliant two games for him, and hopefully, he can finish the season strong.”
Chelsea head into the encounter looking to maximize their point tally from their final two league matches to secure European football for next season, while Tottenham arrive still battling for Premier League survival.