Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has encouraged Christian Atsu to follow in the footsteps of Papy Djilobodji by moving on loan before the end of the current transfer window.
The Blues confirmed on Thursday (21 January) that Djilobodji had been dispatched to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen after the centre-back had just made one single appearance for the club since his unexpected £3m ($4.3m) arrival from Nantes on deadline day last summer.
Atsu, meanwhile, returned to Stamford Bridge earlier this month after the Blues recalled the Ghana international from his unsuccessful time at Bournemouth, having previously spent loan spells at Vitesse Arnhem and Everton.
Hiddink believes the winger should attempt to secure more playing time abroad in order to prove he deserves a role at Stamford Bridge, with reports in Spain claiming both Espanyol and Levante are keen on his services.
“I think it is the same as with Papy. Players who don’t have much of an option to play [at Chelsea], they must get the experience of playing weekly. I cannot say much more than this. He is not a young, young player, he is 24 and these guys need to play.”
The manager refused to confirm if Djilobodji still has a future in West London after former manager Jose Mourinho also questioned his arrival to the club.