Chelsea legend Michael Essien fears centre-back Andreas Christensen will quit Stamford Bridge for Spanish giants Barcelona in January transfer window if he continues to sit on the sidelines.

The 22-year-old Denmark international enjoyed a stellar breakthrough campaign under Antonio Conte last season.

However, since the arrival of former Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri, Christensen has dropped down the pecking order with the Italian boss preferring David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger.

Christensen is yet to appear in the Premier League this season and although Sarri insists he wants the defender to remain with dethroned Premier League Champions former Chelsea star Essien believes it is only natural the number 22 will be considering his options amid reported interest from Barcelona.

The Ghanaian said: ''Every player wants to play.''Chelsea isn’t an easy place to come and the competition is very fierce.

''At the end of the day, all the players work but it’s the manager who will pick who he wants to play.''When you’re not playing you get frustrated and you want to look elsewhere.