Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has insisted he won't give up on Saul Niguez.

The Blues are currently facing a midfield crisis as Jorginho, N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic are all sidelined.

Saul, on loan from Atletico Madrid, has been withdrawn at half-time of both of his Premier League starts.

But Tuchel insists he still plans on using the Spain international, stating before Wednesday's clash with Zenit St. Petersburg: "He's one of the guys that needs minutes.

"He is always in our thoughts and we think about every training session and form.

"I think he struggled a bit with the intensity and he's a bit unlucky he played against Aston Villa, Southampton and Watford, all three were high-intensity games, above average.

"We try to encourage him because he grows into Chelsea more and more. We will not stop encouraging him and trying to bring out the best. It's a high possibility he will improve tomorrow."