Fallen out of favour? Summer signing Malang Sarr's situation on loan at Porto in 2 points

After his summer move to Chelsea, the youngster was immediately loaned out to Portuguese side FC Porto, with the Blues earning a £2m loan fee.

Regular minutes till December

• The left-footed centre-back quickly established himself at Porto, helping the side keep 4 clean sheets in 5 Champions League games as a starter.
• By December, Sarr also had 4 league starts and a substitute appearance - Porto won all of those games.

• However, since early December, Sarr has made just 3 appearances - 2 of which were in cup competitions.
• A primary reason for his omission is the return of veteran defender and first-choice Pepe, who recovered from a foot injury.

Comparison to Pepe

• While Pepe remains Porto coach Sergio Conceicao's first-choice option alongside Chancel Mbemba, let's take a look at Sarr's stats compared to the Portugues'.
• At Porto, the young defender makes 0.6 interceptions, 0.3 tackles, and 3.8 clearances on average per game.
• On the other hand, Pepe is on 0.7 interceptions, 1.1 tackles while making 3.3 clearances on average.

The statistics suggest that Sarr is doing pretty well, and his reduced minutes in the past month are down more to the choice of personnel than ability.