Aubameyang came off after 68 minutes on Thursday (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left furious with Graham Potter’s decision to replace him having come on as a substitute himself in the defeat to Manchester City.
With Raheem Sterling suffering a suspected hamstring injury inside the opening five minutes of Thursday’s clash at Stamford Bridge, Aubameyang was called upon to replace the England international.
The former Arsenal captain was unable to impose himself on the game, however, and suffered the ignominy of being replaced himself after 68 minutes by Omari Hutchinson with Chelsea chasing an equaliser.
The disconsolate 33-year-old was seen shaking his head as he was hooked and barely acknowledged Potter as he left the pitch.
Aubameyang, who left Barcelona to briefly reunite with Thomas Tuchel in west London, was left ‘very angry’ by the decision, according to Sport.
Potter downplayed the incident in his post-match press conference, insisting he was happy with the striker’s performance and explaining the change was down to the player’s lack of minutes recently.
He said: ‘He came on after one minute, hadn’t played for a while, and put in an absolute shift for us given Manchester City make you run a lot.
The striker has scored three goals since arriving from Barcelona (Picture: Getty)
‘I thought he did everything he could for the team. He was fatiguing a little bit, same as Hakim [Ziyech], so that was the decision.
We needed a little bit of energy so I thought we could use Omari [Hutchinson], Conor [Gallagher], and Lewis [Hall]. Of course, players want to stay on the pitch and influence the game. It’s a normal reaction.’
Asked if he had spoken to Aubameyang, who clearly looked aggrieved, Potter added: ‘No, I’ve not got time to speak in any depth in that point.
‘You understand that footballers want to play and help the team. It’s a decision we have to make.
‘He hasn’t played for a while and playing against Manchester City as a forward, sometimes you have to do a bit of work off the ball.
‘He gave everything for the team and was fatiguing a little bit. So that was the decision.’
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