UCL: Potter hails Silva ahead of AC Milan game

Chelsea manager Graham Potter has confirmed that aside from Wesley Fofana, N’Golo Kante and Hakim Ziyech, all the other players in the squad are available to play and are not troubled by any recent knocks or illnesses, including Thiago Silva who was rested completely from the weekend win over Wolves having had a cold.

Potter in his statement also hailed Thiago as he stressed that the fact that Chelsea could rotate a few players has helped in terms of availability for the game against AC Milan.

Speaking about the Brazil veteran, Potter said: ‘Thiago was okay when we played AC Milan but he just got a little bit worse as the week went on. Because there was only two days in between the games it made no sense to play him again. But he’s recovered well, and he’s been incredibly impressive on and off the pitch. As a leader, he’s a top professional, and a top person so he’s been a joy to work with.

‘I think the decision on how long he continues playing is Thiago’s,’ Potter added. ‘I’ve been here three or four weeks. I see his qualities. The level he can play at, the performance levels he can reach, the amount of respect he has throughout the game is just incredible.

‘So all I can do is try and help him enjoy his football here, be part of a winning team, and then the rest of the stuff is something for him and the club to think about.’