Xabi Alonso Makes Geovany Quenda Decision As Chelsea Signing's Fitness Status Revealed

One of Quenda's competition, Pedro Neto, recently signed a new contract.moreVideos

Geovany Quenda has had to be extremely patient for minutes under Xabi Alonso at Chelsea this season.

The 19-year-old is yet to get his chance to really impress, despite playing a regular role in pre-season as Alonso looked to settle on who he wanted to trust for the season ahead.

Quenda has played just eight minutes for Chelsea, coming off the bench in their opening Premier League game against Fulham, which saw the Blues claim a 3-2 win to begin the campaign.

He wasn't in the squad against Brighton and Hove Albion, while he remained an unused substitute in the defeat to Arsenal last week.

It was expected that Quenda would likely get most of his minutes in cup competitions this season. However, that hasn't been the case so far. Quenda didn't play a single minute against either Luton Town or Leeds United in the Carabao Cup.

After not being in the squad against Luton, Quenda couldn't even get off the bench against Leeds on Wednesday night. Chelsea struggled in the first half and went down a goal, which led to the big hitters of Reece James, Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers coming on at the interval, likely played a part.

But it will be a frustrating time for Quenda, who will be desperate for a chance to impress. If he gets minutes before the international break, they'll likely be minimal, against either Hull City on Saturday or Brentford next Friday.

Chelsea have had their share of injury problems this season, but Quenda is not believed to be one of them.

The Daily Mail reports that sources close to Quenda say he is fully fit and not carrying any injury.

With Quenda in and out of the Chelsea matchday squad, it is clear Alonso is making the decision, simply picking other players ahead of the Portuguese teenager.

Alonso has already made it clear that the young players will get opportunities this season, and Quenda is likely to be among them.

Quenda arrived in a deal worth £40m earlier this summer from Sporting CP, signing an eight-year contract. He has plenty of time to prove himself, but with Chelsea's positive start to the season, he will, naturally, want to play some part.

But when the team is playing well, it is harder to come into the side. So it's a case of biding his time and waiting for the opportunity, but taking it when it does come along.