Alonso on Caicedo injury worry, Pedro Neto’s future, Enzo Fernandez latest and win over Brighton

Xabi Alonso says Moises Caicedo will be assessed after the Chelsea midfielder was forced off during his side’s victory over Brighton.

Caicedo was unable to complete the game after coming off the bench in the second half, and was visibly emotional when he was forced off.

“Hopefully it was not new and it wasn’t more than last time,” Alonso said.

“He was cautious to stop, to say that this feeling was not the best, but we need to assess during the week.”

Chelsea eventually emerged with all three points following a dramatic seven-goal encounter with Brighton, with Pedro Neto among the players to impress.

The Portugal international has been linked with a possible move away this summer, but Alonso was full of praise for the winger and believes he will have an important role to play throughout the campaign.

Asked whether he could guarantee Neto would remain at the club, Alonso said: “No, in football I don’t guarantee anything, not anyone.

“But I was very happy with Pedro. He did really well, he played with a lot of energy. He is going to be very important for the team for the whole season because he has different special qualities.

“He is a threat in one-v-one, he attacks very well in the space, he is strong, he is competitive.

“I am happy that he scored, he was really close to scoring another one. I am very happy with Pedro.”

Enzo Fernandez was again absent from the Chelsea squad, having also missed the previous victory over Luton, with Alonso admitting the situation could continue to develop before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

“We’ll see,” he said. “We want the best for the team and that’s why we made the decision against Luton and today.

“Anything that happens before Tuesday evening, we need to be aware of what is going to develop. We are not sure, we are preparing for all the scenarios, but I am sure that whatever happens from Wednesday we will have a good enough squad to compete in all the Premier League games.”

Reflecting on Chelsea’s victory over Brighton, Alonso admitted his side had endured a difficult afternoon despite ultimately coming away with an important win.

“Quite a lot at the end,” he said when asked how much he had enjoyed the match. “All the wins, I enjoyed them a lot.

“But it was a game of different moments, different feelings and at the end we are happy with the result.

“For sure we value a lot this win against a very good opponent that was tough in the last years. So we are happy with that.

“But for sure there are things, moments that we have done really well, other moments that this is a process. We are in the process to keep learning from us, to keep improving and normally it is easier with a win.”