Thiago Silva names Chelsea star he has “a lot of affection” for, hails him as “special” | OneFootball

Former Chelsea star Thiago Silva labelled Joao Pedro as “special” after the Blues beat Fluminense on Tuesday to make the Club World Cup final.

Pedro scored two superb goals in the 2-0 win and Chelsea will now face Paris Saint Germain or Real Madrid in Sunday’s final.

Maresca made the bold call to hand Pedro his first start ahead of Nicolas Jackson with Liam Delap suspended, but the 23-year-old more than repaid his manager’s faith.

Thiago Silva on Joao Pedro

Pedro was only officially announced as a new signing last week and has made a big impact in a short space of time.

The Brazil international impressed against Palmeiras before a man of the match performance against his boyhood club Fluminense.

Pedro scored two superb goals against Fluminense. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Pedro offers Maresca much needed versatility in the final third, and he started down the middle to great effect on Tuesday.

It already looks like £60m well spent, and Chelsea fans will be hoping to see more of his magic in the final as they look to win their second trophy of the season.

The Blues also came up against Silva for the first time since he left last summer, but the veteran Brazilian was powerless to stop Pedro, and hailed him as a “special.”

“He’s special, I have a lot of affection for him,” he said as cited on X.com.

“He hit two brilliant strikes. Sadly for us, it was one of our own who knocked us out of such a big competition, but I’m happy for him.”

Nicolas Jackson facing uncertain future

Whilst Pedro impressed, there are likely to be more questions surrounding Jackson’s future after he was left out the starting line-up.

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Jackson has been on the bench for the last two games following his red card against Flamengo, and is thought to be attracting interest from Serie A and Saudi Arabia.

The 24-year-old isn’t thought to be for sale, but Chelsea are said to be open to suitable offers, and Jackson faces a tough battle to get his place back in the side.