'We are so happy in the way he’s producing' – Chelsea manager on his emerging young star

We’ve been singing Alfie Gilchrist’s praises on this site ever since he made his debut, and tonight was another chapter in the rapidly growing legacy of the young academy star.

He came into the team at short notice to replace the injured Levi Colwill, but he played like he was well prepared. Mauricio Pochettino was full of praise for him in his presser after the game:

“Really good. Really good. The most difficult thing is to manage the stress. He knew he wasn’t going to play but then he was going to play. All the young ones need time to relax and not spend energy thinking before the game.”

The coach was then asked if he trusted the youngster more after these recent important contributions:

“Of course. It’s really important for his career. He needs to compete with different players in his position. It’s important for all the academy players who have the opportunity to play to cope and show they can play for Chelsea. We are so happy in the way he’s producing.”

As always, Alfie did his bit for the team, and set us up nicely for a reshuffle when Ben Chilwell was ready to enter the fray. If anything, the team started to lose its grip on the game when the youngster went off.

It’s great to hear Pochettino speaking like that – it sounds like he’s being convinced by Gilchrist’s potential as quickly as the rest of us. The academy star is setting himself up for many more appearances like this, as long as the endless injuries continue.