Chelsea, led by coach Liam Rosenior, announced the exclusion of Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez from the team's next two matches following his controversial statements about his future amid links to a potential move to Real Madrid.

Rosenior confirmed in statements carried by the media: "I spoke with Enzo an hour ago. As a football club, and as part of this process, we have decided not to involve him in tomorrow's match, and he will not be available for the match against Manchester City next Sunday."

Regarding his feelings about the statements: "I think what Enzo said is disappointing, but what I can say about him as a person, I have no bad word to say about him."

On the reason for the penalty: "A certain line related to the club's culture and what we want to build was crossed, so we had to take disciplinary action."

The coach pointed out that the player expressed doubts about his future after Chelsea's loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16 and increased speculation during the international break when he stated his desire to live in the Spanish capital in the future.

Rosenior added about his respect for the player: "Firstly, as a person and a player, I have great respect for Enzo for what he has achieved in his career. He is frustrated because he wanted Chelsea to be successful this year, and he still wants that, and we can still achieve it."

On making the decision: "We agree on every decision we make, so it was a joint decision."

On the player's future with the club: "The door is not closed to Enzo, and this is very important. It is just a penalty; you have to protect the club and its culture, and the line was crossed during the international break."

When asked about Fernandez's happiness at Chelsea, Rosenior explained: "I can't speak for him. What I know is that whenever he was on the pitch, even in the loss to Everton, he showed no lack of commitment during the performance. As for what he wants in his future, it is not my place to talk about it."

This decision comes at a time when speculation is increasing about the Argentine player's transfer to Real Madrid, amid the Spanish club's interest in acquiring his services in the upcoming transfers.