Frank Leboeuf feels defender Wesley Fofana could damage his career if he fails to develop into a top-class player at Chelsea.

Fofana, 22, moved to Stamford Bridge last summer when the Blues paid Leicester City £70m for his signature. The France Under-21 star had only made 37 top-flight appearances for the Foxes across two seasons. But that was enough for the west Londoners to fork out a significant sum to land the centre-back.

Things began well for the youngster and he saw plenty of action early in the campaign.

However, he suffered a serious knee injury during Chelsea’s 3-0 Champions League triumph over AC Milan on October 5 last year.

The former Saint-Etienne stopper returned in February but has been plagued by niggling fitness problems since then.

In total, the Marseille-born star has enjoyed 12 starts among 14 Premier League outings this term.

But he has yet to show the form that prompted the capital outfit to make their move last year.

Chelsea were beaten 4-1 by Manchester United on Thursday night. Fofana gave away a second-half penalty and was heavily criticised by pundits.

Leboeuf was among them and feels he needs to start fulfilling his obvious potential.

“I still want to believe that I’m not wrong and he will rectify the trajectory in his career,” he told ESPN TV.

“He has everything he needs to be one of the best centre backs but he needs to grow.

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“He’s now in a big club and he needs to grow very quickly making sure his choices are not putting his team in danger.”

Leboeuf outlines Fofana concerns

Chelsea have endured a dreadful season and sit 12th in the table heading into Sunday’s final match with Newcastle United.

Frank Lampard’s return, following the sacking of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, has done nothing to aid their cause.

An expensively-assembled squad has looked out of sorts all season, with no direction.

It seems as though ex-Tottenham chief Mauricio Pochettino is the man they want to right the ship.

The Argentinian will need to thin out his squad and solve the issue of scoring goals. However, it is at the other end of the pitch that Leboeuf had his gaze fixed on Thursday.

The World Cup winner suggested Fofana’s career could be in danger unless he matures sooner rather than later.

“His frustration today when he was nutmegged by Bruno Fernandes, his reaction was very naive. It was immature and he has to react better,” the former Chelsea defender added.

“Hopefully everything is going to be erased and banished very soon. If he carries on like that he can damage dramatically his career that’s for sure.”

Chelsea will not have to worry about any European football in 2023-2024. They have long been out of contention for a spot in any European competitions.

The biggest task for any new manager arriving at the Bridge will be to fashion a side capable of returning to the top four.

The Old Trafford result and Fofana’s display summed up what has been a miserable campaign.

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The article Frank Leboeuf takes aim at star who could ‘damage’ his career without major changes at Chelsea appeared first on Teamtalk.com.