Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger has confessed he is not happy with his lack of game time at Stamford Bridge this season.
Rudiger has managed just five appearances in all competitions this season, one of which came in the Premier League, and there was even a stretch of games in which the German centre-back could not even make Chelsea's matchday squad.
Heart-to-heart talks with Frank Lampard saw Rudiger restored to third-choice defender behind Thiago Silva and Kurt Zouma, but he has been an unused substitute in seven of Chelsea's last eight Premier League games.
"I can't be satisfied with my situation, but the fight has been accepted," he told ZDF. "What will happen in January is a long way off. I'm complete relaxed."
A January transfer seemed a certainty earlier in the season when Rudiger was completely out in the cold. An exit was even on the cards last summer, only for talks to break down late on.
Rudiger is keen to avoid losing his spot in the German national team ahead of next summer's European Championships, which has prompted plenty of fresh rumours that he could leave Stamford Bridge in the coming weeks.
The likes of Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan have both been touted as potential landing spots for Rudiger, while Barcelona are also thought to be keen on landing the German on loan to help cope with their injury crisis.
While things may not be going well for Rudiger on the field, the 27-year-old has been making headlines away from football by showing his support to German medical staff during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Rudiger bought pizzas for 420 nurses across 13 hospitals in Germany, most of which were in cities with high infection rates in East Germany.
"Of course I heard in London through the news and through friends and family how the corona situation at home has clearly deteriorated again in recent weeks," Rudiger said (via DFB) "That is really tragic.
"The people who work in the corona intensive care units are currently doing a great job. For me, these are all women and men of honour. These people cannot be thanked enough for all their services in this very difficult time. For the common good, they put their own health on top of things - that deserves the greatest respect."
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Source : 90min