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

The 24-year-old has knocked on the door for a chance in Premier League with five substitute appearances and will have done himself no harm by netting for Portugal on international duty in a 1-1 draw with Croatia.

Felix has scored four goals in three games in the UEFA Conference League and often looks a class above against admittedly inferior opposition, raising the question of why he has yet to be given a start by Maresca in the league.

With Palmer likely to be fit against Leicester City on Saturday, that run could continue for their trip to the King Power Stadium and Felix may have 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, this could be a goal for the future; to see them both play together,” said the Italian.

“International breaks are good, first of all for those who don’t go with their international teams so they can recover and for those who go, some of them, like Joao, did great.

“But Joao has been good with us since day one. The only problem is trying to find balance when we try to prepare for the game. For us, for all clubs, there is always a bit of doubt because we don’t know how they will come to come back.”

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

But Neto has performed better of late and crucially Felix has a close telepathic connection with his compatriot, leaving Madueke in a vulnerable position after seeing his form slip recently.

In addition, the England international has a place Palmer can move into on the right, where he excelled last season, scoring 24 goals for the Blues.

If Madueke is dropped, Maresca risks upsetting the same player who allegedly stormed down the tunnel after being suspended by his manager. The upside? With Palmer leaving the No.10 spot, Felix 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 star is also their main creative source and sometimes has to occupy deeper positions to provide chances for those in front of him.

The only problem 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, he may be working hard enough to justify the gamble.