Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca sent Moises Caicedo warning by ex Blues star

Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson has warned Enzo Maresca against forcing midfield maestro Moises Caicedo to play in a full-back position next season.

The 23-year-old was named the Blues’ Player of the Season last term for his purring performances in the centre of the park. The former Brighton man is looking worth the huge £100 million invested in him and, with another six years left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, will see his importance to the club continue to grow.

Towards the end of last season, Maresca started to deploy Caicedo in a not so familiar right back role in order to fit £53 million man Romeo Lavia in midfield next to Enzo Fernandez.

Glen Johnson sends Moises Caicedo warning

Chelsea won two of those games, against Everton and Liverpool, but Caicedo looked particularly suspect in that role during the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United. Johnson, who played at full-back during his career, told LondonWorld via 888Sport: “I think if you’re playing him right back just to get him in the team, then it’s wrong. If you’re playing against certain teams and you want a certain tactic - almost like what Trent Alexander-Arnold was doing - then he won’t be a right back anyway, if the ball is on the left he can be in the middle. As a tactic it can work against certain teams but that’s a lot different to getting him on the team sheet because you paid £100 million for him.”

Speaking around the time when he experimented with Caicedo at full-back, Maresca did admit that he views the player as a midfielder rather than a defender, but that did not stop his tinkering. Maresca said: “I see Moi as a six in the way he is playing since we started. In the last games, he played some matches as a full-back off the ball, and then on the ball he is a six, a holding midfielder.”

Johnson also gave his opinion on the effect that the Club World Cup may have on Chelsea’s fortunes next term, as players continue to wait for a proper summer break. He said: “It’s definitely taxing, it’s a long season for the lads. Their bread and butter is the Premier League. Some of the Premier League pre-season can be taxing and brutal and they won’t have to go through that. We’ll see how much of an effect this has on them around Christmas. I don’t think it’ll be seen too much at the start but it’ll be interesting to see how many of these players have knocks of injuries halfway through the season.”

In other news, Chelsea set asking price for 'one of their best' players after £60m Champions League issue emerges.