Graham Potter has confirmed Omari Hutchinson and Lewis Hall will be included in Chelsea's squad for their EFL Cup tie against Manchester City.
The Blues take on Pep Guardiola's side at the Etihad on Wednesday evening, as Potter looks to win his first trophy as Chelsea boss. Both managers are expected to rest players ahead of the World Cup, which starts in Qatar in just 11 days' time.
Potter is also without a number of first-team players due to injury. N'Golo Kante (hamstring), Kepa Arrizabalaga (foot), Jorginho (foot), Ben Chilwell (hamstring), Carney Chukwuemeka (hamstring), Wesley Fofana (knee) and Reece James (knee) are all absent.
"They’ve [Hutchinson and Hall] impressed," said Potter. "They’ve been training with us for a while now and they’ve got some good qualities as young players that we just need to nurture and take the right steps with. But they’ll be in the squad and involved."
Hutchinson, 19, was signed from Arsenal's academy in the summer. The winger was highly rated at the Emirates and has already won his first senior cap at international level, playing for Jamaica against Catalonia in May. He's also represented England at youth level.
Hutchinson is yet to make his first appearance for Chelsea and never appeared for Arsenal's first-team. He made four professional appearances in last season's EFL Trophy, scoring twice and providing an assist to leave Gunners fans excited about his potential.
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Frustratingly for Arsenal, Hutchinson opted to continue his development at Stamford Bridge and has made an immediate impact. He's scored five goals and provided four assists in 11 Premier League 2 games this season, and he's found the net in the EFL Trophy.
Hall, meanwhile, is a versatile 18-year-old who made his senior debut for Chelsea in the 5-1 FA Cup win against Chesterfield in January. The England youth international played at centre-back in that game but is capable of playing in central midfield or down the left.
Hall has scored three goals and provided four assists in his 11 Premier League 2 outings this term and is a regular in the UEFA Youth League. He was an unused substitute in the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, a result which Potter is hoping to put behind them.
"I think that’s a bit reactionary," said Potter when asked if he needs to play a strong team against Man City. "I think you’ve got to look at the game at the weekend the result was disappointing, the performance was disappointing, we want to do better, we want to play better, the intention for that is clear for us all.
"Then we use this game as a next step for us, how we try to move forward, learn more about the squad, more about the players, carry on that process. There’s no shortcuts, as I’ve said many times... there's no click of the fingers and everything goes [as planned].
"You have to go through some pain sometimes, you have to suffer as I said, and you come through, you find out about people, find out about the team, you find out about the club, about everything, and then you can move forward and that’s exciting."
