Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has said he is happy with defender Gary Cahill’s performances, but the Blues boss did not rule out a January exit for the 32-year-old.

The England international has been used sparingly by the Italian so far this season and speaking about the centre back’s future, he said:

“I have spoken with him but there is October, November and December, so I think he has to wait and we have to wait. I repeat: I was really happy with the performance of Cahill. So now Gary for me is very useful. January is far from now, so we’ll see.”

Cahill has been left frustrated by the lack of opportunities under Sarri since his return from the World Cup and has already stated that he’d consider a move away from Stamford Bridge if his playing situation doesn’t improve.

The defender has played more recently, but after being a key player under Antonio Conte, he is slipped down the pecking order this campaign, having failed to make the bench on a number of occasions.

David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger appear to be Sarri’s favoured centre-half pairing while Andreas Christensen has been named as a substitute ahead of Cahill.

Reports in the English media have suggested that Manchester United are interested in the defender. Former manager Jose Mourinho is said to want to link up with the player once again at Old Trafford.