'With his form' - Rosenior explains his decision to give Chelsea teenager his senior debut | OneFootball

Liam Rosenior has explained the reason he gave young winger Jesse Derry his senior Chelsea debut in the 4-0 FA Cup win over Hull City last week.

Derry joined Chelsea from Crystal Palace last summer and was integrated into the club's development side.

Unsurprisingly, the highly-rated 18-year-old became a regular starter right away for Chelsea's Under-21s.

He has already made 23 appearances for the development side across various competitions, from which he has bagged 11 goals and four assists.

The versatile winger then made his senior debut for Chelsea as a second-half substitute during the big win over Hull City in the FA Cup fourth-round tie last Friday.

Rosenior admitted Derry had caught his attention with his outstanding performance for the academy side.

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"I was really pleased for Mamadou to make his first appearance for Chelsea since last summer, and he delivered a strong performance," Rosenior said on the club's latest matchday programme when speaking about the Hull victory.

"I expected nothing less, given the way he has adapted and acclimatised since returning to us from his loan at Strasbourg.

"It was also great to see Reece back on the pitch from the start, and for Jesse to make his senior debut for the club, which he has earned with his form for the Under-21s this season."

It is worth mentioning that Derry was left out of the Under-21s' latest Premier League 2 clash with Leeds United that ended in a draw.

Blues midfielder Romeo Lavia featured in the first half of the game, as he continued his progress towards full recovery from a thigh injury, while Derry was spotted in the stands alongside several other senior Chelsea players.

While it is far from certain, this suggests that Derry, who has trained with the first team in the last few days, could be involved in Chelsea's Premier League clash against Burnley on Saturday.