Glenn Hoddle claims £45m Chelsea player was the ‘pick of the bunch’ in Panathinaikos victory

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Glenn Hoddle was super impressed by what he saw from Chelsea’s first-team star in their victory over Panathinaikos this evening.

Chelsea made it two wins from two in the Conference League group stages with an emphatic 4-1 success in Greece on Thursday.

The Blues are living up to the billing as tournament favourites in this year’s Conference League, making their trip to Athens look pretty routine in midweek.

Joao Felix put the visitors in front during the first-half against Panathinaikos. Afterwards, goals from Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk and Christopher Nkunku earned them another three points.

Speaking via Chelsea’s official app, Jason Cundy thought Mudryk was fantastic in the Conference League win. He’s not the only Blues star that impressed against Panathinaikos, though.

• READ MORE: What Mykhailo Mudryk did straight after scoring for Chelsea against Panathinaikos in Conference League

Glenn Hoddle hails Joao Felix

Glenn Hoddle believes that Chelsea’s Felix was the best player on the park on Thursday.

The 24-year-old attacker, who came into the XI in the No 10 position, got on the scoresheet twice. His first goal was a great finish after timing his run into the box, while his second was a deflected effort from outside the penalty area.

Hoddle said on TNT Sports 1 (6:40pm): “For me, Felix looks really good when he gets in that nine position. He drifts into them positions… That’s where he goes. He drifts into them positions, becomes a nine, and gets the goal.”

Hoddle later commented on Felix (7:38pm): “He did [have a good night]. He was the pick of the bunch really.”

Zero Premier League starts this season

Remarkably, Felix still hasn’t started a game this season in the Premier League since he re-signed for Chelsea on a permanent transfer from Atletico Madrid. It goes to show just how stiff the competition for places is at Stamford Bridge.

There’s no way that anybody is going to dislodge Cole Palmer from the best XI, where he’s currently operating in the pocket as the No 10.

However, it’s worth noting that Felix can play a number of different attacking roles, so surely he’s knocking on the door to get his opportunity in the Premier League soon.

Felix has the individual quality to impact matches at the highest level. For the £45m forward (BBC), he just needs consistency and more minutes.