Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly set to start Kurt Zouma at fullback against Aston Villa this weekend in the absence of right-back Branislav Ivanovic.
Zouma, naturally a centre-back, is set to play out of position when Chelsea host Tim Sherwood’s Villa side on Saturday afternoon.
Left-back Baba Rahman had been expected to make his first league start for the Blues due to Ivanovic’s hamstring injury, but Mourinho has repeatedly insisted that the 21-year old is not ready for Premier League action.
Instead, reports today suggest that Kurt Zouma will play either left-back or right-back, with Cesar Azpilicueta lining up on the opposite side.
Chelsea have had a torrid start to the campaign and the need for defensive reinforcements has been clear, a point which will only be accentuated if Mourinho lines up with three natural centre-halves in the back four.
Rahman has impressed in starts against Walsall and Maccabi Tel Aviv, but calls for him to replace Ivanovic in the league have been shrugged off by the Chelsea boss, who feels Premier League football is currently beyond the £22 million summer signing.
Mourinho’s resolve on the matter will be tested with his lineup on Saturday, but rumours indicate that it will be Kurt Zouma to replace Ivanovic, who is expected to be out for three weeks with a hamstring tear sustained on international duty.
With just eight points from as many games so far this campaign, it may be the shake-up Chelsea’s back line needs in order to stop leaking goals; only Sunderland have conceded more than Chelsea’s 17.