Calling on kid Callum could help out Sarri
FEaRLEss. it’s the only word to describe the young players who are lighting up our game.
it’s fine to talk about skill and ability but it’s their lack of nerves that stands out.
i watched Trent alexander-arnold, for example, play in the Champions League final last May at just 19 and it seemed like he’d been on that stage all his life. Marcus Rashford is leading the line for Manchester United and you have to remind yourself he is 21. Jadon sancho, just turned 19, has slotted into the England squad without fuss and now Callum Hudson-Odoi (right) has done the same, with an attitude that echoed wayne Rooney’s first start for England against Turkey in april 2003.
Hudson- Odoi is going places. You may say that is obvious but, believe me, i have seen enough kids who break through and play a few good games and fade away in the years that follow. when you work and play alongside them, you can see the ones who are different.
He is different. Last November, i went to stamford Bridge to watch a Europa League game against PaOK salonika. Chelsea won 4- 0 and Hudson- Odoi scored one of the goals. The energy in his game meant you couldn’t take your eyes off him.
Maurizio sarri played him from the start in that match yet, so far, he has been reluctant to let Hudson-Odoi loose in the Premier League. it’s difficult to work out why he has only played 84 minutes from the bench. willian and Pedro have been
brilliant for Chelsea and i’m not being disrespectful to them but Hudson- Odoi will be looking at them and becoming increasingly impatient. it’s something every teenager feels: you’ve had your go, it’s my turn.
it could actually do sarri a favour if he started with Hudson- Odoi, maybe against Cardiff tomorrow. Chelsea are a club crying out for a homegrown prospect to go and make a mark — nobody has since John Terry.
sarri has defended how he has used Hudson-Odoi this season and it is true that he has given him chances but it’s getting to the point where it is almost impossible to keep him out of his league plans. if he doesn’t play now, the fans will demand to know why.
i look at Chelsea and see a squad that could thrive with a young English heart. i’m a huge fan of Ruben Loftus- Cheek, Ross Barkley looks to have rediscovered his confidence and, in years to come, they could have Mason Mount, who is on loan at Derby, making an impact too.
To see Hudson- Odoi running at Montenegro with boundless confidence was fabulous. i thought back to what it was like when i was 18. i wasn’t anywhere near ready for the Premier League but you can see he most certainly is.
Chelsea fought to keep Hudson-Odoi out of Bayern Munich’s clutches in January but i expect the Germans to return this summer, along with some Premier League clubs. should he play regularly in the coming weeks, holding on to him will be easier.