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Graham Potter has praised Edouard Mendy’s professionalism, with the Chelsea goalkeeper set to reclaim his starting spot against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
Mendy has been kept out of the starting line-up under Potter by Kepa Arrizabalaga, having struggled with an injury following the new coach’s arrival from Brighton and Hove Albion.
With an impressive run of form since, Kepa has kept his place, restricting Mendy to no game-time until last weekend, when he replaced his injured team-mate in a 4-1 loss to Potter’s former side.
Potter, however, has been impressed by the patience Mendy has shown, and says the Senegal shot-stopper will get his chance to recover his first-choice status while Kepa is out, starting on Wednesday.
“I’ve had some good chats with him, and he’s been great,” Potter said in a press conference. “He was injured when I first arrived, so Kepa played and did well.
“He’s honest enough to know he had to be patient and support Kepa. He’s kept his standards, and now he will have his opportunity.”
Asked if an impressive Mendy performance against Zagreb would present difficult decisions going forward, Potter replied: “You’d hope so. You want as many difficult decisions as possible. That can only be beneficial.”
Potter suggested Denis Zakaria could be in line for his Chelsea debut, with the Switzerland international yet to appear for the Blues since he joined on loan from Juventus.
“I’ve mentioned him before,” Potter stated. “He’s been good, he’s trained well and supported his team-mates. He’s in the frame, so we’ll wait and see.”
Raheem Sterling is expected to feature, as the winger looks to reverse his mixed form, but Potter would not be drawn on whether it impacts the England international’s selection chances for the upcoming World Cup, with Gareth Southgate set to name his squad by November 10.
“I’ve not thought about that in terms of the World Cup,” he added. “It’s too easy to zoom in on the individual.”
