04/23/2004.
Juan Sebastian Veron is to be given another ten days to recover his fitness in the wake of his disastrous appearance in Chelsea's midweek Champions League defeat by Monaco.
The Argentinian midfielder was thrown into the fray as a half-time substitute on Tuesday and his evident lack of match fitness contributed to a 3-1 defeat by ten-man Monaco.
Veron was subsequently quoted as claiming he had told Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri that he was not ready to play following back surgery.
Ranieri on Friday accepted that Veron would play no role in Sunday's crucial Premiership clash at Newcastle and added: "I've decided to rest Veron for another 10 days to increase his stamina."