Jose Mourinho has admitted that striker Diego Costa, may not play again this season, as he works towards regaining full fitness.
The Spain international has scored 19 goals in his debut season for Chelsea, but has only completed eight full Premier League matches, as he continues to battle with hamstring problems.
Mourinho says he is not ready to risk the 26-year-old, especially as the Blues need just three points from their last four games, to be crowned champions of England.
When asked whether Costa would feature again, he said: “There is a chance he might not. If we win [on] Sunday, I would say he doesn’t play against Liverpool.
“If we don’t win on Sunday and we need points against Liverpool, I’d say he would play against them. It’s about result after result, needs and needs. If we don’t need [a win], probably he doesn’t play [again].
“It isn’t worth the risk. In this process, in the last month, if we lose a game — and we don’t want to lose a second — he will be back immediately. Immediately.
“Because the results in the last month were always victories and a draw against the team in second [Arsenal], we don’t need to rush. We are trying to give him maximum stability for him to be stronger and stronger. No need for any risk. Remy is back… definitely back.”
Asked whether Costa would be given a long summer break, Mourinho said: “A good period of work, rather. We are preparing a good working situation for him during the holiday period where he can obviously mix the holiday with work without fear.” Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by Easyblaze
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