Gary Neville names four Chelsea youngsters who could be top players under Mauricio Pochettino
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has claimed Mykhaylo Mudryk, Ian Maatsen, Noni Madueke, and Nicolas Jackson can make big improvements under Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Jackson was in the starting lineup, while Maatsen and Mudryk were introduced in the second half in our 1-1 draw against Liverpool on Sunday at Stamford Bridge. The former Villarreal striker was terrific throughout the game and was impressive against two defensive stalwarts in Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
Madueke is currently nursing an injury, and his availability remains unconfirmed for the upcoming game, which is on August 20th against West Ham United.
Meanwhile, Mudryk also came close to scoring a winning goal in injury time but wasted his chance, while Maatsen replaced Raheem Sterling as he operated from the left wing in an attacking role ahead of Ben Chilwell.
Former Manchester United full-back Neville feels all the abovementioned players have the potential to make more improvements and become top players under Pochettino. He said(h/t Metro) on his podcast:
‘’There’s a lot to look forward to, and Mauricio Pochettino will love this—the frantic nature of Mykhailo Mudryk, Ian Maatsen, Noni Madueke, and Nicolas Jackson. They run offside, they’re too quick in what they play, they’re not cold in the box, they’re actually a bit too emotional, and they’re not composed.”
“There’s a lot to work with at Chelsea; there’s a lot of potential, and I think they’ve got the right coach to turn that potential into high-quality, good performers.’’
Pochettino is here to help Maatsen, Mudryk, Jackson, and Madueke reach their promise at Chelsea. These players have big ceilings. They are at a club where the owners and the manager seem to have complete trust in the philosophy of loading the team with football’s top young talents.
Mudryk had a fair handful of opportunities and nearly scored the decisive goal. Madueke would hope to make a good impression too whenever he returns while things seem promising for Maatsen, with the Dutchman seemingly in Poch’s plans this season.
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To be sure, Pochettino has evaluated each player’s performance and is aware of what needs to be done to help them perform at their peak. As the season progresses, we will notice the development game by game but we must remember these are players in their formative years, who can’t be expected to be perfect already.