Chelsea star Pedro Neto says players 'have to be thankful' for Club World Cup and admits he enjoys playing more than taking summer holiday

Neto has been one of the Blues' standout players so far in the United States, scoring in both games against LAFC and Flamengo, and has admitted he is enjoying playing in the tournament. The Portuguese international continued to say that he believes his team should be more appreciative of playing in the tournament and that other clubs will be wishing they could have been playing. The comments come amid criticism of the Club World Cup for the extra playing demands put on players who have already played full, intense seasons.

Neto was questioned as to whether he would rather be playing than on holiday in the off-season, to which he replied, via ESPN: "100 per cent sure. We have to be thankful. We are here playing this tournament. There would be a lot of players that would love to be in my place and in the other place. We have to enjoy it."

Several players and footballing bodies have already raised concerns over player welfare amidst an increasingly busy footballing calendar. Strikes have been threatened by key figures in the game, including Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, over fears that severe injuries could occur. Despite this, the Chelsea player is content with playing more minutes.

The Blues play their final game of the Club World Cup group stage against Esperance Tunis on Tuesday night knowing that a point will be enough to see them through to the knockout rounds. They currently sit on three points, joint with their next opponents, but have a stronger goal difference. Flamengo have already qualified with six points.