Graham Potter was full of praise for Omari Hutchinson’s performance in Chelsea’s friendly defeat to Aston Villa.
The Blues had Jorginho, Marc Cucurella and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the starting lineup for the match in Abu Dhabi, but apart from that it was a youthful side up against a strong Villa team.
John McGinn scored the only goal of the match, though the biggest blow for Chelsea was Armando Broja suffering what appeared to be a serious knee injury as he was stretchered off.
Hutchinson impressed for the Blues, going close with a solo effort as he cut inside onto his left foot and curled an effort against the woodwork.
It was a display from the 19-year-old that impressed his manager.
“[He was] really good, really good,” Potter said after the match.
“[He was] dangerous, asked questions all the time, I think he hit the bar in the first half, but throughout the game he showed his quality.
“He wasn’t the only one, it was a spirited performance against an experienced Premier League side so it was good.”
After joining from Arsenal in the summer, Hutchinson has five goals and four assists to his name in the Premier League 2 so far this season, but is yet to get his chance in Potter’s first-team.
The Blues are continuing their preparations ahead of the resumption of club football, with Potter and his players hosting Bournemouth on December 27 in their first match back.
They then travel to Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Day, before facing Manchester City twice in the space of four days, first in the Premier League and then in the FA Cup.
