Ex-Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly has revealed that he is a big fan of Carney Chukwuemeka.

The 19-year-old has started the Blues’ first two Premier League matches and Desailly says he is a great admirer of how the midfielder uses the ball:

“I like Carney Chukwuemeka because he is like an artist who comes onto the stage. He has got the ball. Now is my moment. Shine. You see the dribbling. He is sure about what he is going to do and he is clinical. I love it.”

Chukwuemeka scored in the 3-1 defeat to West Ham at the weekend but, unfortunately, the teenager also sustained an injury.

Pochettino also thinks highly of Chukwuemeka

Considering all the money that Chelsea have spent on new additions to the squad over the last twelve months, the fact that Chukwuemeka started against both Liverpool and the Hammers demonstrates how much his manager Mauricio Pochettino rates him.

It is especially significant when you see that he is keeping out the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke, who both cost considerably more.

A cruel injury setback at the wrong time

After showing what he can do by getting on the scoresheet against West Ham on Sunday, Chukwuemeka would have been devastated about being forced off with a knee injury. After the game, Pochettino provided an update on the player’s fitness:

“We need to assess him tomorrow. There will be an assessment tomorrow with the doctor. We hope it’s not a big issue, but we need to wait.”

The fact that Chukwuemeka needed help from physios to get off the pitch was not a good sign. Hopefully, it isn’t as serious as first feared and he can return to the team in the next few weeks. After just breaking into the first team, it would be tough on the midfielder if he is missing for an extended period of time.