Question marks have been raised regarding defending Premier League champions Chelsea at the start of the new campaign, as the Blues lack significant squad depth in key areas and also suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Burnley on the opening weekend.

The Blues bounced back with a superb victory over last season’s runners-up Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Sunday, with Marcos Alonso scoring both goals for Antonio Conte’s side, raising optimism ahead of the further challenges that await.

Manchester United certainly stand as the team to beat so far in the Premier League though, having won both of their opening games by a 4-0 margin, and summer recruit Nemanja Matic has attracted plenty of plaudits.

Many have criticised Chelsea’s decision to sell Matic to a Premier League rival, particularly following the Serbian midfielder’s impressive displays so far since reuniting with Jose Mourinho, but one Chelsea legend believes new signing Tiemoue Bakayoko is far superior.

Pat Nevin dubbed the French international as ‘superhuman’ following an impressive Premier League debut against Spurs, where Bakayoko played the full match despite not being fully fit, and Nevin believes he’ll fill the void left by Matic’s departure. Speaking to the club’s official website, he said:

“Nemanja Matic has gone and has made a fine start at United, so well done him. He did a great job for this club and we are grateful for that. Many were quick to suggest it was a mistake to let him go, but if Tiemoue is as good, he is also crucially six years younger and that counts for a great deal when you are building a squad.”

“His energy levels on the day were bordering on superhuman considering the lack of training and match fitness. You can only guess at what else he will have to offer in the future when you see him striding away from top players who are many weeks, or even months, ahead of him in their season’s fitness regimes.”

Not yet at full fitness, fans can expect a lot more of Tiemoue Bakayoko in the months ahead and he could be a crucial to Chelsea’s quest for success this term.