Fernandez sat out last weekend's 7-0 FA Cup win over Port Vale as the first game of a two-match ban after his comments during the international break sparked speculation over a move to Real Madrid. His agent Javier Pastore declared the sanction "completely unfair" before later softening his tone and announcing the two sides had "made peace."
Rosenior confirmed the apology — but confirmed the ban stands.
"He's apologised to me, he's apologised to the club, and we'll deal with that after a massive game on Sunday."
Pressed for detail on where things stand, he did not shy away from the complexity of the situation.
"It's a serious meeting about something very serious. I'm not questioning Enzo's character, I'm not questioning who he is as a person."
He continued: "I believe people make mistakes and you can't overstep the punishment for the mistake. We've made a sanction, we made a decision, I made a decision, and what I want for Enzo is for him to come on here and have an outstanding career."
He then delivered the key message.
"He won't play on Sunday, but hopefully after that, he'll be a massive part of the group moving forward. There are still a few hurdles that need to be overcome that I won't go into, but at the same time I want every player really, really focused now on a huge run."
The phrase "a few hurdles" is significant. It suggests the resolution between Fernandez and Chelsea goes beyond the two-game suspension and points to deeper issues around his future — and potentially contract talks that stalled earlier this year.
Chelsea's teammates reportedly lobbied Rosenior to lift the ban given the magnitude of the City fixture. He held firm.
After Sunday's game, Chelsea face Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in another critical Premier League match. Whether Fernandez will be available for that fixture remains unclear given the hurdles Rosenior referenced.
Chelsea sit sixth, one point behind Liverpool and outside the top five that now qualifies for Champions League football. The stakes could hardly be higher.