Chelsea boss Antonio Conte admits he was surprised to hear of Eden Hazard’s call-up to the Belgium squad.
Blues winger Hazard is yet to play this season having been sidelined since suffering a fracture to his right ankle while on international duty in June.
Nevertheless, Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has called up his skipper for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Gibraltar and Greece.
Conte said: “I only knew 20 minutes ago and for sure I’m a bit surprised by this decision.
“I was a coach of the national team with Italy so I respect the decision of the coach.
“If Hazard isn’t ready he will not play, it’s why he doesn’t play with us.”
Hazard was due to play for Chelsea’s under-23 side on Friday to build up his fitness, and is not expected to feature against Everton on Sunday.
“I see him every day, in this situation it’s very important to give the right time to players to recover,” added Conte.
“Also he is a very important player for us. If someone thinks to accelerate the process it is not the right way.
“It’s a big mistake, in this moment we must pay great attention and not make any mistakes.”
Chelsea remain in the market to add to their title-winning squad but Conte refused to be drawn on their reported interest in Swansea striker Fernando Llorente.