Portugal’s Pedro Neto talks putting injury problems in the past, favourite position and the need to improve at Chelsea | OneFootball

Chelsea winger Pedro Neto has been speaking ahead of Portugal’s World Cup qualifier with Armenia on Saturday, as he continues to establish himself as an important part of Chelsea’s improving side in the Premier League.

Neto was often regarded as a talent capable of deciding any game, but too often succumbing to prolonged spells on the sidelines with injury. However, since moving to Chelsea from Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer, Neto appears to have finally put such occurrences behind him.

“With the experiences I’ve been through, I’ve obviously learned a lot and gotten to know my body better,” Neto told journalists at Portugal’s camp. “I’ve had to study certain parts of my body I wasn’t familiar with, take certain tests, but above all it’s about routine, about the work that has required even more effort. Thank God I’ve achieved this consistency, and I want to continue like this.”

Neto is known to be a favourite of Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca and has started all three of the Blues’ Premier League matches so far this term, scoring in the 5-1 win at West Ham last month. The regular inclusion under Maresca follows 24 starts in the league last term, which was considered a solid return given concerns over Neto’s injury record.

Competition for places in attacking wide areas at Stamford Bridge will continue to grow. Brazilian sensation Estevao arrived this summer from Palmeiras, while Chelsea completed a deal to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United a few days before the deadline. Jamie Gittens was also brought in from Borussia Dortmund during the summer in another substantial investment.

Asked which side of the attack he favours, Neto replied: “Honestly, I prefer to play right winger. That’s where I started in the youth teams, when I started playing more in attack, because I actually started playing as a central midfielder [laughs]. Later, I moved to the right wing, and without a doubt, where I like to play most is on the right side.”

Neto has not only had to improve his physical reliability. The switch from Wolves’ reactive play style, which enabled him to seize his opportunities on transitions, to a more possession-based game model at Chelsea under Maresca was a challenge many were curious to follow. Neto has responded well, acknowledging he was required to improve as a player.

“I think it’s very different,” he admits. “When I arrived at Chelsea, I usually had to adapt to the way they play because I was used to playing for a Premier League club that didn’t have much possession and we had a lot of space. At Chelsea, one of the things I felt I improved the most was my ability to play in tight spaces, in spaces that other teams didn’t give us as much, because they played deeper.

“With more possession, I had to elevate my game to more possession-based rather than transitional. My time here with the national team also helped me a lot; we also have a lot of possession and we also play in the opponent’s half. That was, without a doubt, the biggest improvement I’ve seen in my game.

“I’ve also improved my ability to get into the box when there are crosses from the other side. Filling the box and finding areas to finish was also something I’ve improved.”