LONDON -- Alexandre Pato will stay at Chelsea on loan until the end of the season, interim manager Guus Hiddink has confirmed.
Reports in Brazil this week claimed Pato -- yet to make an appearance for the Blues since arriving on loan from Corinthians in January -- could return to his parent club in the coming weeks.
The 26-year-old was put on an intensive "preseason" training schedule by Hiddink when he arrived, but although he is now fit enough to make a first-team contribution, youngster Bertrand Traore has established himself as the preferred alternative to first-choice Diego Costa.
Asked whether he could confirm that Pato's loan would not be cut short, Hiddink said: "At this moment, he will stay until the end of the season."
The manager said Chelsea would give Pato more time to stake a claim but said he must obey "the law of competition" when picking his team, with Loic Remy having recovered from a long-standing calf problem and Radamel Falcao back in full training after a serious thigh injury.
"When [Pato] was brought here we only had Diego Costa of our strikers competitive," Hiddink told a news conference.
"At that time, Traore was a very young kid. But he has made, in a very short time, progress and scored goals. We also had Remy in very troubled waters, and Falcao.
"That's why we brought Pato in on loan. Now everyone has become fitter and fitter. The law of competition is that we'll see who is the strongest.
"They have to compete in a healthy way, which is what they're doing, and I have to make a judgement whether to give them a spot or not."
Falcao has not featured for Chelsea since Oct. 31, but Hiddink said the 30-year-old was getting himself back into position to compete with Costa, Traore, Pato and Remy for first-team chances.