Enzo Maresca admitted that he was ashamed of the way he treated Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell.
The Champions League and England national team winner has only made one appearance for Chelsea this season.
Maresca admitted before the start of the season that Chilwell was not part of his plans and would struggle for playing time at Stamford Bridge.
Despite this, Chilwell failed to find a new club before the summer transfer window closed, and has therefore rarely played over the past six months, his only minutes coming in a League Cup tie against Barrow.
The January transfer window provides another opportunity for Chilwell to leave Chelsea, but there has been little speculation about the 28-year-old, who has proven injury-prone in recent years and earns nearly £200 a week at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca did not enjoy being constantly overlooked by Chilwell, and says the full-back responded admirably to his repeated snubs.
Speaking in his pre-Bournemouth press conference on Monday morning, Maresca said: “Ben was at the top. I have to say that, he was at the top.
“Very professional, hard-working. I’m embarrassed by this situation, but in terms of behaviour, he’s been very good.
Asked why he had not changed his position on Chilwell, Maresca added: “First of all because it is my choice.”
“I can see Malou Gusto, Reece James or Mark Cucurella doing a different kind of job in the game.
“I think Chilwell is a great full-back who does the job up and down, and in the past he has won titles and played caps. But I find it difficult to see Ben doing different things.
Chelsea spent £45m to sign Chilwell from boyhood club Leicester City in the summer of 2020. He made 107 appearances for the Blues.
Former Chelsea defender Celestin Babayaro insists Chilwell needs to leave the club in January for the sake of his career.
“In terms of players who might need to be considered moving forward, I’m looking at Ben Chilwell,” he said. Ladbrokes.
I love him, he’s actually one of my favorite left-backs. But it seems he can’t fix himself. He’s the kind of guy I look up to, who maybe needs to think about his career.
“You know, he’s not as young as he used to be, so he has to think, ‘If I don’t play here, I need to move on.’
“Apart from that, I don’t think anyone else would think about leaving the club at this moment, because they are all brand new signings.”
“But, yeah, I think Chilwell is probably looking at his future and thinking he needs to leave the club.”
Chelsea is in fourth place in the English Premier League ahead of its trip to Bournemouth on Tuesday evening.
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