Veron told to improve his fitness
LONDON, England -- Juan Sebastian Veron, who was a notable omission from Chelsea's side at Middlesbrough on Sunday, has been asked to increase his fitness before their next match.
Chelsea have revealed that the Argentine did not play in the 2-1 Premier League victory because he had been left behind in London to undergo intense fitness training.
"Veron is not yet working as much as he has in the past. He was used to a more intense training regime at Lazio," said a Chelsea spokesman.
Veron helped Lazio win the Serie A title in 2000, a year before joining Manchester United. He moved to Chelsea in July.
Unlike some of his European team mates involved in the final round of Euro 2004 qualifiers on Saturday, Veron and Hernan Crespo, who headed Sunday's late winning goal, are not needed by Argentina this week.
The next rounds of South American World Cup qualifiers are scheduled for mid-November, coinciding with the Euro 2004 play-offs.
Chelsea's next match is a Premier League trip to Birmingham on October 14 for a game in hand that could see them remove Arsenal from the top of the standings five days before they take on the present leaders at Highbury.
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