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No Chelsea player has featured more for club and country this season than Marc Cucurella. Yet Enzo Maresca has shown no sign of giving him a rest, despite the Blues forking out £36m to sign Jorrel Hato from Ajax in the summer transfer window.

Cucurella established himself as a key player in Maresca's side last season. The 27-year-old defender featured 54 times across all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing four assists, as Chelsea won the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup.

He played a crucial role, either inverting into midfield to assist the build-up phase or bombing forward to provide a greater threat in the final third. With no senior understudy, Cucurella rarely had the opportunity to recharge his batteries.

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As a regular for Spain too, by June, the left-back had tallied over 5,000 minutes of football for club and country. Unlike many of his international teammates, Cucurella didn't have the luxury of a summer break; a couple of weeks later, he was back in action for Chelsea at the Club World Cup.

The Blues went all the way in the United States, smashing Paris Saint-Germain in the final. The Spaniard started all but one of the games, chalking up an additional 570 minutes of football.

Eager to give Cucurella a break and steer him away from a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Chelsea signed Hato from Ajax. The 19-year-old defender had previously enjoyed spells at left-back and centre-half for the Dutch giants, so he was identified as somebody who could provide cover across the backline.

When the Blues secured his signature, Maresca noted Hato's experience as a key factor behind his arrival. The Netherlands international had played over 100 times for Ajax, often donning the armband towards the end of his stay.

"He is much more mature than his age; he has captained Ajax and this kind of thing," said the Chelsea boss. "But with him, the messaging is the same.

"He is in a different country, a different league, a different tempo, and a different intensity. He needs to adapt, but for sure, there are no doubts he is going to help us."

Hato featured sparingly in the opening weeks of the season. It looked as if Maresca was gearing the teenager up for a run of starts, stressing that he still needs to acclimatise to life in the English top-flight.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Chelsea's clash against Ajax in the UEFA Champions League back in October, the Blues boss said: "We are very happy with Jorrel since he arrived.

"He is trying to adapt to English football. We are very happy with him. The first two or three weeks, he struggled with physicality and intensity, but he is getting better and better."

Maresca added: "I think he can play both. He is a very good player; he can be a central defender, or a full-back, a midfielder in the attacking phase. He can play in different positions."

Hato helped Chelsea defeat his former club 5-1 at Stamford Bridge, earning himself another start on the European stage. A couple of weeks or so later, the Dutchman featured in the Blues' disappointing 2-2 draw to Qarabag at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium.

Although he's often named in the matchday squad, Hato hasn't played for Chelsea since. In the meantime, Cucurella has been run into the ground, playing every minute of every game across all competitions.

While Maresca is a big fan of the former Brighton defender, he has the opportunity to give him a week of rest before the Blues face Newcastle United at St. James' Park. Hato could cover for Cucurella against Everton at the weekend, and against Cardiff City in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Tuesday night.

The clash on Tyneside could prove decisive in the race for Champions League football, so Chelsea will need the Spaniard ready and raring to go.