Andreas Christensen has warned Chelsea he is prepared to leave the club in search of regular playing time.
The Denmark international has dropped down the pecking order under Maurizio Sarri and is frustrated with life under the new Chelsea boss.
Christensen emerged as a first-team regular during Antonio Conte’s second season at Chelsea but is back below David Luiz in the pecking order.
The 22-year-old is a product of Chelsea’s youth academy but has warned the club he will be forced to leave if things do not improve.
“It has been a hard season,” he told Danish website bt.dk, via Sky Sports. “To be honest, it has been very difficult. I had a good season last year and I played a good World Cup.
“I cannot stand to have so much patience again. Now I’m 22-years-old and I really want to play. In the last three seasons, I’ve played, so it’s clear that I do not see me staying if my current situation is also true in the future.
“It’s too early to talk about when to change if I’m going to change. But it is clear that it is not a good situation for me. It has been difficult to get into the team, and when we get the good results that we currently do, it will only be even harder.
“It’s a gift for the team, but for me personally it has been a hard start of the season.”
Of Chelsea players that have made at least 10 Premier League appearances in the last three campaigns, Christensen has the best pass accuracy (93.4%).