One of the more surprising stories to surface from the Premier League’s weekend football was that Chelsea defender David Luiz has seemingly fallen out of favour with manager Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge.

The Brazilian defender – re-signed by Conte for £34 million in 2016 – was left out of the starting eleven for the 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Sunday, with Andreas Christensen preferred.

Yet, even further than that, the central defender was omitted from the substitutes bench.

Reports of a rift between the player and manager could spell uncertainty for his Chelsea career once the domestic football returns in a fortnight – equally causing havoc for some Draft Fantasy managers.

Luiz has long been one of the go-to choices for fantasy football due to his sustained presence in a strong Chelsea back-line and his tendency to venture forward and earn numerous points for attacking ploys (goals or assists), and he is undoubtedly one of the first names on most people’s wish-list.

Yet his rocky patch with Conte could be a sign to try and get rid of the Brazilian as quick as possible.

Luiz hasn’t quite been at his fluent best this season anyway, managing to earn just 50 Draft Fantasy points in comparison to the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta (81) and Marcos Alonso (68), and his inconsistent displays have seen him dropped from a matchday side three times in the league alone this campaign.

His decision-making has been questionable at times, and he’s all of a sudden developed a tendency to be drawn across the pitch and leave gaps in the middle – as both Watford and AS Roma have exploited.

Perhaps the worrying thing for Luiz is that Conte has now spoken openly about his future at the club following his omission for the visit of Manchester United, and when questioned on whether the defender will be around for the long-term the Chelsea boss didn’t exactly fill him with any reassurances.

Talking on Sunday, as relayed by BBC Sport, the Italian said:

“He has to work really hard otherwise he is on the bench or in the stand.

“I don’t know. [Andreas] Christensen is the present and the future for Chelsea.”

It signals a dramatic turnaround from last season, where Luiz began to show the sort of form that made him such a cult hero during his first spell in west London before his £50 million move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Last season he was influential in Chelsea’s romp to the title and it seemed like he’d turned the corner with his erratic nature but a few months down the line and his career is now in a sense of jeopardy.

As such, it could be wise to re-evaluate your Draft Fantasy side over the international break if Luiz is in it, and it may be worth taking the time to consider alternative defensive options.

The likes of Christensen himself, John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi, Davinson Sanchez, Harry Maguire and Nacho Monreal are all far better options at this moment in time, and unless there’s a drastic turnaround over the next fortnight then the furore over Luiz’s future could rumble on indefinitely.