Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that Russian international Yuri Zhirkov will not be leaving Chelsea, despite rumours linking him with a move back to Russia.
The left-sided player was signed from CSKA Moscow a year ago for a fee just short of £20million. Zhirkov made seventeen appearances for Chelsea last season, but only due to the absence of an injured Ashley Cole.
Given his limited first-team opportunities, it had been suggested that Zhirkov would leave Stamford Bridge. However, Blues boss Ancelotti is hearing none of it.
"I don't need to speak with him about the future," said Ancelotti, who will start with Zhirkov against MSK Zilina in the Champions League this evening.
"That is because his future is here with Chelsea. He is a good player.
"He knows in this club, in the top teams, there is a lot of competition to play and for this reason, he has to improve.
"But I think that he will have the possibility to play a lot of games this year, because we are involved in a lot of competitions. We need to have all the players fit and ready to play."
The left-sided player was signed from CSKA Moscow a year ago for a fee just short of £20million. Zhirkov made seventeen appearances for Chelsea last season, but only due to the absence of an injured Ashley Cole.
Given his limited first-team opportunities, it had been suggested that Zhirkov would leave Stamford Bridge. However, Blues boss Ancelotti is hearing none of it.
"I don't need to speak with him about the future," said Ancelotti, who will start with Zhirkov against MSK Zilina in the Champions League this evening.
"That is because his future is here with Chelsea. He is a good player.
"He knows in this club, in the top teams, there is a lot of competition to play and for this reason, he has to improve.
"But I think that he will have the possibility to play a lot of games this year, because we are involved in a lot of competitions. We need to have all the players fit and ready to play."
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