My quality is yet to diminish, Fabregas claims

Chelsea’s Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas takes a penalty but sees the spot kick saved during the English FA Cup third round football match between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge in London on January 5, 2019. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)

CESC Fabregas believes his technical quality has never abated even if he has begun to lose “sharpness”, with the midfielder expected to leave Chelsea for Monaco.

Fabregas captained Chelsea to a 2-0 FA Cup win at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, bidding what looked to be an emotional farewell to the Stamford Bridge crowd at the end of the game.

Alvaro Morata appeared to confirm Fabregas would leave Chelsea on social media, writing on Instagram: “You do not know how much I’m going to miss you!”

Reports have indicated the 31-year-old will hold talks with Ligue 1 strugglers Monaco on Sunday ahead of a reunion with former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry, who took over as head coach in October.

And despite missing a penalty against Forest, Fabregas insists the technique he has shown throughout his career will not leave him as he reaches the final years of his playing days.

“It is always something that I have had, and it feels like growing up and getting older, it is one of those things that really does never go away because it is technique,” he told Chelsea’s website.

“Physicality goes away from all of us unfortunately when you get older, you lose speed, you lose some sharpness, but technique I think is something that always stays with you when you have something, so hopefully it can stay with me for a very long time yet.

“With the penalty, when I stopped in the middle of my run, I saw the goalkeeper going down and I thought that I had it, so yes, it is unfortunate but the day I did 100 caps for Spain I also missed a penalty!

“It feels like it was last week I started playing professionally and now it is over 15 years. It is a long time but for the young players when they start playing, my little advice is to enjoy it every single second because it goes so fast.

“In football you have to be ready every three days, you have to live with criticism, you have to live with everyone saying how good you are – up and downs – and you just think I am young, I have time but time really does fly, so enjoy every single second of it.”