Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte insists Cesc Fabregas and Oscar have a future at Stamford Bridge.
The Spanish and Brazilian playmakers have been peripheral figures at Chelsea this season, with Conte masterminding a steep upturn in form by reverting to a 3-4-3 formation within which both men do not appear to have an obvious role.
Fabregas has been grappling with a thigh injury since making a solitary Premier League start this term in the 3-0 defeat at Arsenal.
Conte’s switch to the system that served him so well with Juventus and Italy came after that match, with five wins from five Premier League matches and no goals conceded as a result.
Oscar has featured twice as a substitute during this period but his boss offered words of encouragement at a pre-match news conference ahead of Sunday’s trip to Middlesbrough.
“His future is Chelsea, full stop,” he said.
“For me he is an important player in the squad. He’s in good form and a great player.”
On Fabregas, he added: “He is in a good shape and available for Sunday, for sure.
“It’s the same for him as for Oscar [on his future].”
Oscar joined the Blues from Internacional in the summer of 2012 and has made over 200 appearances for the club in all competitions.
He’s collected a Premier League, Europa League and League Cup winners’ medals to date.
However, this season, he’s only been able to feature in nine of Chelsea’s fourteen matches.
Since the decision was made by Conte to alter his formation Oscar has only played 28 minutes of Premier League football and this has not gone unnoticed by some of Europe’s top clubs.
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