SUMMIT SPECIAL
Tammy can reach the top says Azpilicueta
CESAR AZPILICUETA believes Tammy Abraham’s desire will take him to the top.
Chelsea’s young England striker returned to the team on Wednesday after shrugging off a hip injury to score his 13th goal of the season for club and country.
He also set up Mason Mount for the winner as his side beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.
It showed how important the 22-year-old has become to Frank Lampard’s team, especially as a toothless Chelsea lost 1-0 to West Ham last weekend when he was injured.
Abraham has nailed down the Chelsea centreforward role this season ahead of Michy Batshuayi and Olivier Giroud.
The boy from Camberwell is riding high in the Premier League scoring charts.
He has 11 league goals, three behind Jamie Vardy (inset) but ahead of Sergio Aguero, Marcus Rashford and Sadio Mane.
Abraham scored 26 goals for Villa on loan in the Championship last season, and grabbed the same number for Bristol City on loan in 2016-17.
Chelsea captain Azpilicueta said: “Vardy is having an amazing season and Tammy is behind him – so if he is there it is because he deserves it. Not only is he scoring goals, he is playing for the team, recovering the ball.
“He made a tackle in our own half that was an amazing effort, he made an assist as well.
“I am not just looking into his goals as a number because he is doing more than that.
“I am confident that he can get many more goals because of the way he is working and improving since he started pre-season.
“It is amazing, and he has the potential to go even higher.
“I know we are still in December with a lot of games to go, but with his passion and hunger, he is capable of getting to the top. “Tammy’s desire is amazing.
“When he was injured he wanted to come back as soon as possible.
“For him it was special to play against Villa, where he got promoted to the Premier League and where he had an amazing spell.
“I am very happy for him because he showed that strength of character to play, score and get an assist. He was key for us.”