Maurizio Sarri is set to hand England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi his first Premier League start in one of Chelsea’s next two matches.
Sarri has received heavy criticism for his reluctance to play the talented 18-year-old, with unhappy Blues fans chanting the player’s name during Sunday’s unconvincing 2-1 win at Cardiff.
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Hudson-Odoi, who remained on the bench in South Wales, made his senior international debut last month and underlined his potential with an exciting cameo against the Czech Republic followed by an impressive 90 minutes in Montenegro.
After being restricted to just 119 top-flight minutes in six substitute appearances under Sarri this season, the teenager finally appears on the verge of his full debut ahead of successive home games against Brighton and West Ham.
“First of all, in pre-season, after four or five training sessions, I realised that Callum was really a player with very great potential,” the Chelsea boss said: “In my opinion, in that moment, he wasn’t ready to play at this level. “But during this season he has improved and now he’s ready to play.
I know Callum very well and I want him to improve more because his potential is high and Callum is always in my mind. “In my opinion, he is our future and now he is ready to play. Probably he will start tomorrow or in the next match. Firstly, I want to see the condition of all the players. But of course, he is in my mind.”
Chelsea are sitting sixth in the Premier League ahead of the midweek fixtures and they could start the weekend’s action inside the top four if they beat Brighton on Wednesday, and other results go their way.
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