“He is one of the players we are looking at” – Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca on 16-year-old talent Ryan Kavuma-McQueen | OneFootball

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has earmarked Ryan Kavuma-McQueen as a prospect on his first-team radar, underlining the teenager’s reputation inside Stamford Bridge.

The Blues are back in action this weekend, and the Italian tactician was asked about the young Chelsea winger.

Kavuma-McQueen turned heads recently when he struck four times in England Under-17s’ 7-5 victory over Germany.

Maresca admitted he had been tracking the 16-year-old closely (via Kieran Gill): “I watched even that game (England Under-17s).

“I was very impressed, but I already knew him. We always have one of my staff watching the second team.

“They told me this guy was very good, so I watched him. He is one of the players we are looking at.”

Maresca’s words come at a time when Kavuma-McQueen is preparing to commit to Chelsea on his 17th birthday.

Kavuma-McQueen is reportedly close to signing his first professional contract, despite strong interest from other European giants.

His impending deal is seen as a statement of intent from the Blues, who were stung in 2024 when highly-rated Rio Ngumoha left for Liverpool.

Kavuma-McQueen is regarded as one of the finest attacking talents in Chelsea’s academy set-up.

Already competing against older opposition in the Under-21s league, the winger has also been called into first-team training on multiple occasions.

The Chelsea hierarchy, led by Glenn van der Kraan and Delroy Ebanks, is determined to lock down the club’s teenagers, ensuring the pathway to senior football remains open.

Under Maresca, that route has never been more straightforward.

He handed out a club-record eight debuts to youth players last season and continues to lean on homegrown quality.

Reece James, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, and Josh Acheampong are all significant contributors.

Maresca’s endorsement makes it clear Kavuma-McQueen is not just a name for the future. He is already firmly on the manager’s mind.

He may struggle for game time this season with the Blues stacked on the flanks, but Maresca has shown he knows how to integrate the academy studs into the first team.