Thomas Tuchel admits that Tammy Abraham is feeling "worried" and "angry" about his situation at Chelsea, with a lack of game time sparking transfer talk around the England international.
A 23-year-old product of the Blues' academy system has sat out 12 games since February 20, with untimely injuries and fierce competition for places conspiring against him.
Abraham has been absent from key fixtures in Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup competition, with Chelsea progressing positively down all of those avenues, and Tuchel can appreciate why questions about his future will have been asked.
What has been said?
The German tactician has said of a frontman that has figured just five times during his reign in west London: "Everybody is concerned when they’re not in the squad but it’s never an easy decision for me to take.
"I have a lot of sympathy for him and I can understand that he is worried and sad and maybe angry with me when I make these decisions.
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"Sometimes we spend almost an hour talking after the last training which decisions to take and which players we have to leave at home because it’s thin margins which decide.
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"Tammy has had this decision now a few times against him which is never personal but this is life at Chelsea sometimes as a player.
"I hope that he does not get lost in too many thoughts because he knows not to be too concerned about his situation.
"Everything he can do is stay focused and stay with belief because the situation for a striker can change in minutes.
"We have an important training coming up and my decisions are not made yet."
The bigger picture
Abraham has missed out on meetings with Atletico Madrid and Porto in the Champions League, as Chelsea have reached the last four of that competition, and was overlooked for a FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City that has the Blues within touching distance of major silverware.
A lack of minutes at club level is understandably frustrating, given that he has a club-high 12 goals to his name this season, and is also impacting his international ambitions.
With Tuchel favouring other options in the final third, there appears to be little chance of Abraham forcing his way into Gareth Southgate's thoughts ahead of this summer's European Championship.
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