As Manchester United continue to consider a move for the Spaniard, Mauricio Pochettino has reiterated that left-back Marc Cucurella is still on his radar for Chelsea’s Carabao Cup match against Wimbledon on Wednesday.
Cucurella is included alongside former Chelsea player Marcos Alonso, who is currently playing for Barcelona, as a prospective replacement for Luke Shaw, who was lost to injury.
Ben Chilwell has been starting for Chelsea this season, and Ian Maatsen has made two appearances as his backup, suggesting that Cucurella has slid down the pecking order since Pochettino’s arrival. On Wednesday, Cucurella might play against Wimbledon of League Two.
Prior to the match, Pochettino stated he currently has no reason to bench Cucurella for the cup match because United’s interest in the 25-year-old hasn’t materialized into something solid.
“I cannot talk about supposition or rumours,” Pochettino explained. “For tomorrow he is going to be able to play. The club did not communicate to me.
“All of the players in the squad are in our plans. It’s about situations, players and club, club and players. All of the players that are in our squad are in our plans even if they didn’t play at the moment.”
In addition to Cucurella and Alonso, United has talked about signing Sergio Reguilon, who has yet to play a single minute for Tottenham Hotspur under new boss Ange Postecoglou.
While United has not yet chosen their ideal target, they have already decided that a loan move would be preferable to a permanent offer.
Cucurella has struggled since his £62 million transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion last summer, and Chelsea are open to bids for the player as Pochettino looks to keep his roster as lean as possible.
The manager wants to retain his attention completely on getting ready for games, and he underlined that the club will make all decisions regarding departures, including those for players like Cucurella, Romelu Lukaku, and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
“I am not involved in these situations,” Pochettino stressed. “I am focused on the team. That is between the club and the player. Nobody communicated that something is finished. When something is done the club will communicate to you.”