Benfica head coach Jose Mourinho has lavished praise on Chelsea winger Pedro Neto ahead of the game between the two clubs on Tuesday evening.

Neto had already expressed his pride at facing Mourinho when asked about the Blues legend in a pre-match press conference, and the 62-year-old returned the favour by labelling him an elite player:

“Pedro Neto is one of the best wingers in the world. Roberto [Martinez] at the [Portugal] national team is very privileged because he has not only Pedro Neto but four or five players of that profile.”

“At Benfica, we don’t have as many. Of course I would like Pedro Neto, but of course he is playing in a different reality, much different to ours, especially financially.”

Neto needs to produce more

The 25-year-old has undoubtedly caught the eye since his £54m move from Wolves last year, and concerns about his poor injury record were unfounded.

However, Neto has struggled to score and create goals on a consistent basis. This season, he has scored once and contributed 0 assists in 8 appearances.

His record since he moved to Stamford Bridge is slightly better, averaging a goal involvement every 3.1 games, but he seems to have gone backwards over the past couple of months.

Chelsea have plenty of options out wide

Even if Neto is not producing the sort of displays this campaign that some were hoping for, head coach Enzo Maresca is not exactly short of alternatives.

The Italian can also call upon the likes of Estevao, Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens to start on the two flanks.

As the season goes on, fans will be hoping for a considerable increase in the output of all 4 players (including Neto) to ensure that the Blues can compete on multiple fronts.

Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here