Graham Potter's remarks about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang appear to be at odds with the rumored cause of his departure from Arsenal in January.
Recall that Aubameyang was kicked out of the club after Mikel Arteta stripped him of the captaincy; now, he's been cut out of the Chelsea team as well.
The 33-year-old is no longer a core member of Potter's squad due to the Blues' frenetic January transfer activity.
He hasn't played since the 0-0 draw at Liverpool on January 21, which has many wondering if his discipline problems from his time at Arsenal have returned in west London.
Potter praised Aubameyang's professionalism and work ethic in response to the question of whether he is still considering using him this season.
He said: "Well, we have David Fofana as well, who's a centre-forward that we've signed, who's is a young player with potential, we feel, there are also other forwards.
"Of course, Pierre [Emerick Aubameyang] is in our squad. He remains an important player for us. He's worked hard. He knows the situation at the moment."
According to reports, Arteta wanted him off his team because of ongoing attitude issues, which ultimately cost him the position of captain.
Aubameyang's contract with Arsenal was terminated in January of last year, which enabled him to join Barcelona on a free transfer.
But he only spent seven months in Catalonia before making a shocking comeback to the Premier League as part of a trade with Marcos Alonso in September.
Graham Potter, the manager of Chelsea, has praised Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's attitude. However, days after Aubameyang arrived, Thomas Tuchel was fired, setting the tone for his lackluster tenure at the club.
Potter added: "Nothing's set in stone. His attitude has been really, really good. We'll make an assessment as we go forward."
The Gabonese international has only three goals in 18 appearances and is arguably no longer in Potter's top three striker choices.
Potter's public remarks raise the question of whether his position behind the scenes matches his lack of involvement over the past month.
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