Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is confident he can find space for Joao Felix to play alongside him. Cole Palmer in the Premier League after the Portuguese’s recent performances proved he could no longer be ignored.

The 24-year-old knocked on the door to try his luck in the Premier League with five appearances as a substitute and didn’t do himself any harm by scoring for Portugal on international duty in a 1-1 draw against Croatia.

Felix has scored four goals in three UEFA Conference League matches and often looks on top against admittedly inferior opposition, raising the question of why he has yet to get a start for Maresca in the league.

While Palmer is likely to be fit against Leicester City on Saturday, that streak could continue for their trip to the King Power Stadium and Felix could be forced to settle for another frustrating first half on the bench.

But when asked about the subject, Chelsea The tactician insisted he would find a place for Felix and Palmer to play alongside each other: “Yes, that could be a goal for the future; to see them both playing together,” the Italian said .

“The international break is a good thing, first of all for those who do not participate in their international selections so that they can recover and for those who go, some of them, like Joao, have done a fantastic job .

“But Joao has been doing well with us since day one. The only problem is trying to find a balance when we try to prepare for the match. For us, for all clubs, there is always a little doubt because we we don’t know I know how they’re going to come back.

The problem for Maresca is that to make room for the Portugal international, he has to let someone go. Palmer is irreplaceable in this area Chelsea team and that means one of Noni Madueke or Pedro Neto is likely to fall from the starting XI.

But Neto has performed better of late and, crucially, Felix enjoys an almost telepathic connection with his compatriot, which leaves Madueke in a vulnerable position having seen his form dip recently.

Additionally, the England international fills a spot that Palmer could fill on the right, where he excelled last season and scored 24 goals for the Blues.

If Madueke is left out, Maresca risks upsetting the same player who allegedly stormed down the tunnel after being replaced by his manager. The advantage? With Palmer moving down from 10th, Félix could slot in behind Nicolas Jackson and provide the attacking support the Senegalese sometimes lack.

As much as Palmer is a goal threat for Chelseathe starlet is also their main creative source and is sometimes required to take deeper positions to give chances to those in front of him.

The only issue Felix struggles with is his lack of defensive contribution, which troubled Diego Simeone and Xavi when he played for Atletico Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

But the £42m summer signing is so desperate to impress that he may well work hard enough without the ball to justify the gamble.