Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri claims Gonzalo Higuain must be given time to improve, comparing the Argentine to Barcelona forward Luis Suarez.
The Italian coach also stated that he wants to keep Higuain at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer, but no deal is close to being struck.
Higuain joined the Blues on a loan deal until the end of the season from Juventus in January, with the London club having an option to sign the forward either permanently or on another loan deal in the summer.
The 31-year old striker, who previously played under Sarri for Napoli, has struggled to hit the ground running in the Premier League, and was left on the bench during Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Brighton on Wednesday.
However, Sarri still has faith in the former Argentina international’s ability, and has called on fans to be patient, claiming Higuain is similar to Luis Suarez in that he needs time to adjust to the rigours of the Premier League.
Having joined the Reds in the January transfer window, Suarez scored four goals before the season’s end. In his first full season for the club, Suarez scored 11 Premier League goals, before continuing to improve by scoring 23 and 31 in his next two seasons respectively.
Talking about what Higuain needs to do to improve, Sarri spoke about how he has to strengthen both physically and mentally. As reported by BBC Sport, the Italian said:
He has to improve physically, mentally, but I think also he will be able to be very useful for us in the last part of the season.
It’s not easy in the first months to play in the Premier League. It was a problem also for Suarez in the first season at Liverpool. He scored only a few goals. In the second season he scored more. So it’s not easy, especially for a striker, to play immediately well in the Premier League.
I think he needs time to improve his physical condition and time to be suitable for the Premier League. I think he is able to do it.
Sarri also confirmed he wants to keep Higuain at the club next season, although it comes down to more than just his own wants and desires. Sarri continued:
Yes of course [I want to keep him], but it depends on the club, it depends on Juventus.
It’s not clear the situation at the moment.
