Frank Lampard reveals why Chelsea starlet Carney Chukwuemeka was withdrawn from the England U-20 squad
Frank Lampard has justified Chelsea FC ‘s decision to withdraw Carney Chukwuemeka from the England U20 squad, claiming that the midfielder can gain game time in the remaining games this season.
The 19-year-old was chosen for the U20 FIFA World Cup, which is being held in Argentina. But injuries to N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic have forced the Blues’ hands, preventing the youngster from taking part in the competition.
Chukwuemeka has only made 11 Premier League appearances for the Blues this season since arriving from Aston Villa. He was one of the first players signed by Todd Boehly in the previous summer window and it is debatable if the transfer has gone as expected.
The youngster has not had enough playing time in west London. It may have been better for him to play for England’s U20 squad rather than face the uncertain final weeks of the campaign at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, (h/t Mirror) Lampard explained why Chukwuemeka was withdrawn from the squad:
“He’s a Chelsea player, and we have injuries in that area. One of the situations with Carney is that he has come into a club; it was a big move for him, and this season he hasn’t managed to get so many minutes. But hopefully, there’s an opportunity in these three games for him.”
What Lampard has indicated will hopefully be fulfilled because the 19-year-old has seen minimum playing time. Securing regular minutes is the best way to continue his development and Chelsea’s treatment of the youngster so far has been far from convincing.
After we were ousted from the Champions League, we should have given more playing time to most of our young acquisitions since it would have prepared them for next season. More game time gives them self-assurance, and it would also have let us determine if we should keep them or send them on loan.
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But now we only have a handful of games to play, it remains to be seen how many minutes Chukwuemeka will be given. Hopefully, we have a plan in place and did not just deny the youngster a shot at representing his country for nothing.