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What's the story?
Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta has hailed youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi, stating that the explosive winger will play a crucial role under Frank Lampard. According to the 29-year-old, its the senior players' responsibility to carve the best out of youngsters such as Mason Mount and Hudson-Odoi.
In case you didn't know...
Hudson-Odoi rose through the ranks at Chelsea to grant himself a place in the first team at the tender age of 17. Although opportunities had been hard to come by, impressive displays on a consistent basis last season largely caught the eye of Maurizio Sarri.
The teenager put up impressive performances in the Europa League and then the domestic competitions, before an Achilles tendon injury ruled him out for the rest of the season. Regardless of the experience, Hudson-Odoi's talent is simply priceless, as a player of such rare breed with immaculate abilities on the ball is a hard find.
The heart of the matter
The faithful at Chelsea, along with the loyal Azpilicueta, are on the same wavelength. Speaking of Hudson-Odoi's relevance and importance, he remarked:
"For Callum it is a massive chance to become a key player for Chelsea. He was getting plenty of minutes before his unlucky injury. Now I am sure that when he recovers well he will be important when he is back."
He continued:
"Last year Callum, Ruben [Loftus-Cheek] and Andreas [Christensen] started to get minutes. Now with the transfer ban, we have seen in pre-season already, they have more chances to break in.
We are lucky we have the best academy in England and it is true that maybe in recent years we haven't seen a lot of youngsters coming into the first team and getting minutes on the pitch."
The Spaniard also asserted the how essential it s for the senior men to make the youngsters feel home as soon as they break into the first team.
"Yes, we [senior players] do [talk to the youngsters]. Our role is to make them feel comfortable, to let them express the quality that they have shown in the youth system. It is important to have a connection between the players in the first team and the academy," he concluded.
What's next?
The Chelsea squad will hope to see their starlet Callum Hudson-Odoi join the team prior to the start of the forthcoming season. Meanwhile, Frank Lampard and co.take on Barcelona on 23 July.
