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If there's a forgotten man at Chelsea over the last season and a half it's the diminutive figure of Marko Marin. Signed from Werder Bremen when the club's Champions League future was in serious doubt, Marin was displaced from his position by the summer signings of Eden Hazard and Oscar before he'd even played a game. And while his name still carries a bizarre resonance amongst some sections of the Stamford Bridge support, it's abundantly clear that he doesn't have much of a future at the club.
Marin's problem has never been talent. He's blessed with vision, pace, and excellent technique, and when you watch him on a good day it suddenly doesn't seem completely insane to compare him to some of the world's best players. But he almost never has a good day, because he's almost always either injured or recovering from injury. And that's what makes his latest set of quotes so sad.
As things stand now, I am supposed to [go back to Chelsea at the end of the year], but I've had so many enquiries. Sevilla want me to stay, but that's not a decision only they can make. I would like to stay too because I really like it here, but in the end, it's up to Chelsea what happens. What matters now is that I get fully fit again.
I'm loving it here in Spain. People love me in Spain. I've already been likened to Messi, and when I am really fit again then these comparisons will resurface. I just need two or three more weeks. Everything is really perfect here, probably better than in England, even though I did enjoy my time at Chelsea.
-Source: Sky Sports.
After an excellent pre-season, Marin made five starts in La Liga before succumbing to a torn thigh muscle in October, and he's only just getting back to the point where he can come on as a substitute. Some players have the ability to stay healthy, and Marin is their opposite. It's impossible to get into any sort of rhythm when you miss as much time as the 24-year-old has, and when you're at an age when your game is still developing, injuries can derail careers.
Marin has enough talent that teams will always be interested in rolling the dice on him, but absolutely nothing has changed since last year. This is just how he is -- good at football, potentially helpful, adorable and injured. And that's a real shame.
