Chelsea have been sent a subtle message they could finally see the best of Enzo Fernandez once again following his operation to fix a hernia issue. The Argentina international has been playing through the pain for a number of months with the injury first being clearly noticed during the Carabao Cup clash against Newcastle back in December.

Despite that, Fernandez continued playing a prominent role in Chelsea's 2023/24 season but at times it was clear he was not at his best. In the recent 5-0 humbling at the hands of Arsenal, Fernandez was withdrawn just after the hour mark and it has now become clear those were his final minutes of the season.

Earlier this week, reports began emerging out of Argentina that Fernandez had undergone an operation to fix a groin issue with the player himself penning an emotional message on Instagram soon after. "My operation was successful, everything went well thank God. I needed to get this surgery since l have been dragging the pain for about six months," wrote Fernandez.

“It was something I could avoid while constantly treating myself with injections and medications. But a few weeks ago the pain started to get more and more intense, without any of this taking effect, and it was worse as I trained and played annoyingly, but I didn't want to stop being in the games I had…

“Whenever I got to play with Chelsea jersey, like the national team, I always try to do my best despite all this but I can't stand it anymore…

"Thank you for the messages, encouragement and your token of love always. Shout out to everyone, I promise you l'm coming back stronger than ever.” Fernandez not being available for the remainder of the campaign is a blow for the Blues, however with less now on the line in the final few weeks, it made sense for the surgery to happen especially with Fernandez's Copa America ambitions.

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Fernandez is not expected to be out for a significant period of time with a clear warning sent that will undoubtedly please Chelsea ahead of next season. “Sports hernias are fairly common in football," injury analyst Ben Dinnery said via Crypto Casino. "It’s one of those injuries that players can almost play through that pain barrier.

"Is it going to affect their output and performance? 100%. You look at the dynamic nature of the sport and intensity levels, even the mechanism of kicking the ball, that’s in and around that inductor area.

"In every movement, run and play, there’s going to be a feeling in there. You’re looking at a player who has been playing at 60-80% this season. Address that and work on it for a good solid pre-season. He’s still young and adapting to the Premier League. Hopefully he comes back refreshed and really giving that 24/25 season where we really see him.”