John Obi Mikel will consider his Chelsea future in January if he continues to be overlooked by manager Antonio Conte.
The Nigeria international has yet to feature for Chelsea this season following the arrival of N'Golo Kante from Leicester City.
Kante has been a regular in midfield alongside Nemanja Matic in Conte's 3-4-3 formation and the pair have impressed as Chelsea have amassed 25 points from their opening 11 league matches.
Mikel has been a first-team regular at Stamford Bridge since arriving from Lyn in 2006, but he acknowledged his stay could come to an end when the transfer window re-opens, should his situation not change.
"We will wait and see what happens in January," he said, as quoted by ESPN FC. "For the first time in my career, this is happening to me and I have to stand up and deal with it.
"It is what it is but I'm training hard every day and I always wish the team the best and I am happy we are doing well.
"I've been at Chelsea a long time. Managers come and go, players come and go. I've been at Chelsea a long time and these things happen in football. So we will have to make that decision when January comes."
Mikel's contract expires at the end of the campaign and reports have already suggested Conte is reluctant to offer him a new deal.