Former German midfielder Didi Hamann has told Thomas Tuchel that he needs to "push" Kai Havertz more ahead of Chelsea's Carabao Cup Final this weekend against Liverpool.
Havertz, 22, grasped at the opportunity presented to him after Thomas Tuchel had decided to give Romelu Lukaku a rest against Lille following his ineffective Crystal Palace performance.
The youngster's goal and overall performance against the reigning French champions has now provided the manager with a massive selection headache ahead of the weekend.
Who does he start out of the £70million man or £97.5million club record signing as the lone No.9 for Sunday?
Perhaps he finds a way to start both - but if Tuchel and Havertz's comments are anything to go by after what was said in midweek, the versatile forward could be in line to be given the all important nod over the misfiring striker.
"I'm very pleased. Kai is very strong for weeks now, really steps up," Tuchel recognised.
"His effort is immense, the work rate is immense, the areas of the pitch he covers for us is very, very good. He was decisive, created chances, was involved, and was never shy of defending.
"We had a very aggressive high line today on the pitch with the offensive three players together. The formation was to have intensity, a high work-rate consistently throughout the whole match and they did all very good."
Hamann has now had his say on the selection headache that has all Blues fans intrigued.
"He’s a player who can decide a game in a flash," Hamann said to Genting Casino. "Lukaku seems to be a bit off form at the moment, I think Van Dijk and whoever plays, they will be able to handle him.
"You’re looking at the likes of Havertz, Ziyech, Mount, they’ve got some good players.
"Timo Werner doesn’t play any role whatsoever, and that’s what I mean, they don’t seem to have the options Liverpool have got or the manager doesn’t trust them, and I think they could be a problem for Chelsea on Sunday."
He then went on to send Tuchel a message regarding what he needs to do personally to get Havertz firing on a consistent basis.
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"Maybe the manager should give him a bit more of a push," the 48-year-old said. "It’s a bit comparable to Leroy Sane. When Sane came to City, he didn’t have a great first season, he gave balls away, he didn’t play with any confidence whatsoever, and all of a sudden he started playing, scored a goal and things changed.
"Havertz has achieved everything he would have wanted to achieve, he went to Chelsea to win the Champions League and to win the Club World Cup.
"He’s done that and not only contributed, but scored the winner in both games. For the Chelsea team to give him the ball to take the penalty, shows how much they rate him, how much they appreciate him."
