Huge Liam Delap decision made as Chelsea and Enzo Maresca get what they want after £30m deal

Chelsea have been handed a major boost after Liam Delap was not named in the England Under-21 squad.

The Young Lions are preparing for the upcoming Euro Under-21 tournament – which will take place in Slovakia.

Delap was in contention to feature in the tournament with England being led by head coach Lee Carsley who will have Chelsea legend Ashley Cole as part of his backroom staff.

Chelsea confirmed the signing of Delap earlier this week from Ipswich Town, after the Blues activated a £30million release clause in his contract.

This summer will also see Chelsea head to the United States for the Club World Cup, where they will compete for the trophy against the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich – as well as a host of other clubs across the globe.

With Chelsea signing Delap, there was uncertainty as to where the striker would be playing football this summer, with the Blues and England Under-21s both involved in important tournaments.

Carsley has not named Delap in the Young Lions squad for the Euro Under-21 tournament, in turn hinting that the striker could feature at the Club World Cup for Chelsea instead which would be a major boost to head coach Enzo Maresca and his squad.

Chelsea are yet to confirm their exact squad which will travel across the Atlantic to feature in the Club World Cup, although the latest decision from Carsley and England suggests Delap will be part of the group that makes the trip to the United States.

The Blues will take on Los Angeles FC, Flamengo and ES Tunis in their group games in the inaugural edition of the revamped format of the FIFA tournament.

Chelsea’s first match will be on Monday, June 16 and the Blues will hope their involvement in the tournament will run until July 13, where the final will take place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.