"He was woeful and hopeless" - Chelsea star warned he may never play again under Graham Potter after struggling against Man City
Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton believes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may have played his last game for the club after his showing against Manchester City.
The Blues suffered a 1-0 defeat to City at Stamford Bridge on 5 January, thanks to Riyad Mahrez's 63rd-minute goal.
Aubameyang started on the bench but was introduced into the match in just the 5th minute after Raheem Sterling suffered a hamstring injury.
The former Arsenal striker put in a performance to forget, not managing a shot at goal and losing possession on three occasions.
He was embarrassingly substituted in the 68th minute despite only having been brought on in the first half.
Sutton has lambasted Aubameyang's performance as one that may have Graham Potter considering never playing the forward again.
He told the BBC after the game:
"Aubameyang looked like he didn't want to be here this evening."
Sutton continued:
"I wonder whether Graham Potter is thinking, how can I play Aubameyang again in a Chelsea jersey after how woeful he was. I'm always wary to criticise players for lack of effort or poor body language but Aubameyang absolutely epitomised that."
The former Blues frontman claims that the Gabonese forward looked disinterested and may have to worry about his future in the team:
"I thought he was woeful and hopeless and didn't give anywhere near enough. He looked disinterested and I suspect Graham Potter will be thinking, blimey, he is never going to play in a Chelsea jersey again under me."
5' - Aubameyang subbed on for Chelsea
68' - Aubameyang subbed off for Chelsea
A night to forget for the striker 😬 https://t.co/LMGzfhNf64
Aubameyang joined Chelsea from Barcelona this past summer for £10 million.
He arrived at Stamford Bridge with the west London giants in dire need of goals and a central striker.
Romelu Lukaku departed for Inter Milan on loan, while Timo Werner returned to RB Leipzig for £25.3 million.
However, Aubameyang has failed to make an impact, scoring just three goals in 16 games across competitions.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola lauds Rico Lewis' performance against Chelsea
Guardiola praised 18-year-old Lewis, who came on at half-time for Joao Cancelo.
The English teenager made two tackles and was energetic as Manchester City secured all three points in the second half.
Lewis' second-half display was deemed extraordinary by his manager, who attributed the upturn in performance from his side to the left-back's introduction.
Guardiola told BBC Sport when asked about the side's problems in the first half:
"Our rhythm, everything was ropey when we arrive in the positions that we could do, we were not good."
The Spaniard then explained Lewis' impact:
"But especially when Rico came in he has the ability and the talent to make our game better so most players play good, but he has the ability to play good and make others better... he is extraordinary."
"Rico has the ability to make the whole team play better." 🌟
Pep Guardiola with high praise for Rico Lewis 🤝 https://t.co/HOLZyyrIon
Lewis made his senior team debut in August and is quickly becoming a prominent member of Guardiola's first team.
He excelled in City's U18s side before making the jump to the first team. He captained the youth side during the 2022-22 campaign.