Chelsea have been left to rue the decision to offload another wonderkid as Juventus star and Cobham graduate Samuel Iling-Junior impresses in the Champions League. The 19-year-old winger enjoyed a 20 minutes cameo off the bench for Massimiliano Allegri's side against Benfica in the Champions League.
Iling-Junior, who snubbed west London for Turin in 2020, replaced Filip Kostic at the Estadio da Luz with the Italian giants 4-1 down. Eager to impress, he was at the heart of all good and contributed an assist after just seven minutes.
The England youth international found Arkadiusz Milik with a great delivery into the box, inspiring a late comeback. Iling-Junior continued to impress and Juventus scored another when another of his crosses eventually allowed Weston McKennie to make it 4-3 with 10 minutes to play.
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Allegri's team failed to claw back a result but the former Chelsea starlet impressed nonetheless. Iling-Junior has featured six times for Juventus Next Gen, otherwise known as the reserve side, in Serie C this season, directly contributing towards four goals.
His impressive displays have attracted the attention of the Old Lady's boss as he begins to pick up minutes in the first-team. A few days prior to the Benfica clash, Iling-Junior enjoyed a five minute cameo off the bench against Empoli where Juventus won 4-0.
The teenage sensation looks set for an exciting future ahead of him and Chelsea will certainly be ruing the decision to not pulling out the stops to retain his services. Iling-Junior joined the Blues in 2011 and remained at Cobham for nine years.
He was promoted to the Chelsea under-19s at just 16-years-old. Naturally he courted great interest from Europe's top clubs ahead of his 17th birthday; the age when players are first able to pen professional deals.
Instead of committing his future at Stamford Bridge, Iling-Junior opted to leave for pastures news and Juventus was the apple of his eye. He left a year after Jamal Musiala did the same, joining Bayern Munich from Chelsea in 2019.
Iling-Junior has fond memories of his time with the Blues. He penned a lengthy tribute to the club social media upon his exit.
"Full of vast emotions, being at Chelsea from such a young age has truly built me, not only as the player I am today but also as a person," Iling-Junior wrote. "It’s been a blessed journey and I’m deeply thankful for all those in the Academy. From the groundsmen, kitchen staff, players, coaches, the list goes on.
"I would also like to give thanks to the people around me, my family and friends who have consistently supported me. This is just the start."
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