“Even on his recovery days, he’s 100 miles per hour” - John Terry names Chelsea academy star who reminds him of himself
Chelsea legend John Terry has named Alfie Gilchrist as the player who reminds him of himself. Terry came through the club's youth ranks and is considered one of the greatest players in the west London club's history.
Terry made 717 appearances for the side, scoring 67 goals and providing 27 assists, helping them claim five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, one UEFA Champions League, and one UEFA Europa League.
During a discussion with Daily Mail, the 43-year-old Englishman spoke about Gilchrist, saying (via Metro):
"Literally from the first training session in which I saw him, he reminded me of myself. He was keen to learn, asking me questions about defending and constantly picking my brains over what I would do in different situations. And he’s 100 per cent in everything he does. Whether that’s the warm-up to get him going, he’s all-in. You don’t ever want to take that away. Even on his recovery days, he’s 100 miles per hour."
The Blues legend concluded, saying:
"As he gets older, he’ll understand how to manage that and how to be. But it’s a great trait to have for a young player and it can certainly set you apart. If you’re at Chelsea, you’ve got great ability in the first place to be there. But it’s really important for younger players to have that mentality and Alfie had that in abundance even from an early age."
Gilchrist is on loan at Sheffield United in the Championship, where he has made 15 appearances this season. Upon returning to Chelsea at the end of his loan spell, he will be keen to be a part of the senior team.
"I feel a shame for Joao and I would like to give him more minutes in the Premier League" - Chelsea manager laments use of forward
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has lamented his use of Portuguese forward Joao Felix this season. The 25-year-old signed permanently for the club this summer for a reported €52 million fee from Atletico Madrid.
Felix has seen game time hard to come by since his arrival, playing 553 minutes across 10 games but bagging an impressive return of five goals and one assist. His performances have made it hard for his manager to exclude him from proceedings. Maresca told the press (via FotMob):
"I feel a shame for Joao and I would like to give him more minutes in the Premier League but we need defensive balance and we cannot play with Joao, Cole [Palmer], Christo [Nkunku]. I’d like to put all of them on the pitch but then you need to defend, and you need the right balance. I don’t have any doubts that if Joao keeps working well, he will find his moment in the Premier League."
Chelsea are third on the Premier League table and look set to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season. The Spanish tactician will hope that after Felix's satisfactory return, he can provide him with more game time in the next part of the campaign.
