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By KIERAN GILL, MAIL SPORT REPORTER Published: 23: 11 AEST, 10 April 2026 | Updated: 23: 35 AEST, 10 April 2026 24 View comments Enzo Fernandez is still banned by Chelsea for Sunday’s Premier League showdown with Manchester City despite apologising personally to Liam Rosenior, who has revealed there remain ‘hurdles’ that need overcoming between the midfielder and his club. Fernandez held internal peace talks this week after missing their FA Cup quarter-final victory over Port Vale as punishment for flirting with Real Madrid during the last international break. The Argentinian’s agent, Javier Pastore, has also been outspoken in his defence of Fernandez. Rosenior will not lift the suspension for City as he said on Fernandez: ‘He's apologised to me, he's apologised to the club, and we'll deal with that after a massive game on Sunday. ’ Pressed for more details, Rosenior continued: ‘It’s a serious meeting about something very serious. I'm not questioning Enzo's character, I'm not questioning who he is as a person. ‘I believe people make mistakes and you can't overstep the punishment for the mistake. We've made a sanction, we made a decision, I made a decision, and what I want for Enzo is for him to come on here and have an outstanding career. ‘He won't play on Sunday, but hopefully after that, he'll be a massive part of the group moving forward. There are still a few hurdles that need to be overcome that I won't go into, but at the same time I want every player really, really focused now on a huge run. ’ Enzo Fernandez remains sidelined for Chelsea's clash with Man City on Sunday Liam Rosenior confirmed Fernandez apologised to him and the club, but stated an internal sanction remains in place After City, Chelsea are due to face Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in what will be another significant Premier League clash. However, it would not appear certain that Fernandez will be involved, given these ‘hurdles’ that still need tackling. Interviews conducted by Fernandez while away with the Argentina national team saw the vice-captain hit with his two-game ban by his own club, who believed his comments crossed a line. He had revealed how much he wants to live in Madrid and hailed Real legends Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. This followed him previously admitting he does not know if he will still be with Chelsea beyond this summer and criticising the club for losing former manager, Enzo Maresca. As well as Fernandez, Chelsea will still be without Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill for City. James is running again, but needs time to recover full fitness.
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