Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has confirmed the identity of his third-choice striker - Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
The young midfielder has been identified as a possible alternative to Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi in attack for the Blues, with Conte keen to explore the option of deploying the powerful midfielder further up the field.
Loftus-Cheek has yet to make an appearance for Chelsea this season and with Cesc Fabregas currently sitting on the bench, he faces plenty of competition in the centre of midfield.
But he may be afforded opportunities to shine up front for the Blues, with Diego Costa just two bookings away from an automatic suspension.
“He [Costa] is an important player but in our squad there is also Michy Batshuayi and he is waiting for the right moment to show quality," he said.
“And we also have Ruben [Loftus-Cheek] who can play in this position.”
Conte was quizzed on whether Costa's apparent lack of discipline is cause for concern for him, but the Italian believes his No.9's place atop the Premier League scorers list is evidence that he is channelling his passion usefully.
“He must pay attention because he has three yellow cards but I am not worried about this," he said.
“He is growing in this situation, in the last game he showed a great attitude despite it being very difficult for him.
“We all know him, he’s a passionate man and we want to put his passion in the football when he plays.
“It is important to have passion in the right way.”
