Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca may have felt justified in dropping his namesake Enzo Fernandez from his starting XI, but with every game he is left out, that decision becomes harder to justify.

While on international duty on Thursday, Fernandez helped fire Argentina off to a flyer in their World Cup 2026 qualifier against Paraguay with a sublime assist. His long ball over the top found Lautaro Martinez and the clinical striker provided a fine finish after just 11 minutes.

The Albiceleste went on to lose 2-1 in Asuncion, but Fernandez’s performance would not have gone unnoticed by Blues scouts following his progress during the international break.

The £107m midfielder has now bagged five assists in his last three games for club and country. That total could have been even higher had the midfielder not been substituted at half-time during the 8-0 thrashing of FC Noah, when he had already scored a hat-trick of assists.

Even after finding out he was benched for the London derby with ArsenalFernandez made his mark from the bench – with the vision to deliver Pedro Neto with an inch-perfect pass and the Portuguese winger duly finished to rescue a point.

It will be a welcome boost for the 23-year-old, who has lost his place to Romeo Lavia following a noticeable decline in his performances since Maresca took charge. Issues away from the pitch, from his controversial video with the Argentina team to relationship issues have put his name in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Fernandez recently announced that he had separated from his wife Valentina Cervantes, the mother of his two young children, and the couple appears to be divorcing. Whether or not his dip in form is directly related to his personal life, former Blues midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes Maresca’s decision to keep Fernandez out of the team is for his own good.

“He has to deal with his personal problems first before he becomes the real midfielder he used to be a couple of years ago. He has to solve that first,” Petit said in a conversation with Instant Casino.

“Lavia and Caicedo have been fantastic too Chelsea. It will take weeks, probably months, for him (Fernandez) to compete and compete for the first XI, but he is so far gone at the moment.

“To be honest with you, Enzo Maresca do him a favor by benching him because of what’s going on in his private life. He is not there – in the mind – at Chelsea right now. It will not help him by putting him in the team. It’s a good decision to keep him out of the starting XI.”

But with Lavia’s fitness a constant cause for concern – especially after getting into combat Arsenal – Fernandez’s recent rise suggests that his slump is now behind him.

Admittedly, the Blues’ second-most expensive signing has yet to live up to sky-high expectations during his 22-month spell at Stamford Bridge, but the manner in which he has responded to being released by Maresca is a clear demonstration of his determined character.

If Maresca continues to influence both his club and country on the pitch, Maresca will struggle to find excuses to keep Fernandez off it.