Maresca raves about “technically fantastic” teenager who is “perfect for our system” | OneFootball

The team news is out for Chelsea’s game against Djurgarden in the Conference League semi final second leg tonight, and there’s only one name everyone is talking about.

The tie is pretty much wrapped up – we lead 4-1 on aggregate and the opposition weren’t up to much even in front of their own fans. So naturally the focus is on a young (very young) debutant.

Reggie Walsh gets first start for Chelsea at 16

Reggie Walsh makes his Chelsea debut. (Photo by David Lidstrom/Getty Images)

Reggie Walsh came off the bench in the first leg to become the third youngest Chelsea player ever. Now he’s getting a start, a week later. Enzo Maresca has spoken a little about why he’s picked the youngster and what he expects from him:

“He is talented, technically he’s fantastic – I really like him. Between the lines you can see immediately that he has something about him,” the manager said.

“He’s only 16 so he needs to work hard, he needs to continue. I like his personality. He has worked with us during the season and he’s not shy. He’s always asking for the ball, he’s shouting, he’s talking – I like him, he’s a good player.”

Maresca thinks youngster is a perfect fit for his system

This expands on Maresca’s comments from after the game last week, where he called the midfielder “perfect” for the way he sets his team up:

“I felt excited to give him a chance. He’s suited to our style. We’re happy. He’s the eighth debut from the Academy. He is perfect for our system, but of course he’s also young so we need to protect him. I just told him to enjoy the experience before he came on.”

This would otherwise be a bit of a dull, dead rubber with all the focus on Sunday’s Premier League game against Newcastle. Instead, we get this really interesting storyline to follow.