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Football London
Football London
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Scott Trotter

Graham Potter could hand Chelsea star debut vs Man City after notable absentees from U21s squad

Chelsea's under-21 side to face Tottenham Hotspurs does not include three of its regulars as the Blues' first team prepares to face Manchester City on Wednesday. Regulars Lewis Hall, Omari Hutchinson, Bashir Humphreys, and Mason Burstow are all absent from the squad for the Premier League 2 clash.

Hutchinson was included in Chelsea's matchday squad versus Brighton, while Hall, who made his Blues debut in last season's FA Cup versus Chesterfield, was on the bench for the defeat to Arsenal. Both have been present in first-team training on occasion, as Graham Potter has utilised his time to familiarise himself with members of the development squad.

Humphreys has yet to make his Chelsea debut but has captained the under-21 side and as a central defender, would provide depth to an area that has been problematic for the Blues due to injury. Mason Burstow netted in the under-21s last outing against Brighton and has scored four goals in 14 appearances this season after joining the club from Charlton in January and returning there on loan.

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Potter did not make use of any of the development squad for Chelsea's dead rubber versus Dinamo Zagreb last week, instead making use of the squad that was below the number of bodies allowed. However, speaking ahead of that game, the head coach did say he had been impressed.

Potter explained: "As I said before, I don't think it's a time to be using young players just for the sake of it. I think we have to be competitive and respectful of the competition. There are still teams looking for points for their own qualification. So from our perspective, we have try and pick a team we think can win the game.

"We've used a lot of young players. As you said, a lot of them have been impressive. I like the character, I like the personality, and it's been an important part of how we've started here at Chelsea to get closer to the academy guys and to get to know them."

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