£20m Chelsea player claims Mauricio Pochettino has told him he can play in two different positions this season

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Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka has been told by Mauricio Pochettino he’s an option to play in two different positions this season.

Carney Chukwuemeka, who’s just 19, has detailed a discussion with the new Blues head coach.

He’s claimed that Pochettino has told him he considers him as a number 8 or number 10 on the pitch.

The attacking midfielder is a great dribbler of the ball and very comfortable in possession, so it’s great to see him in dangerous pockets inside the opposition’s half.

Chukwuemeka has shared the message given to him by Pochettino, as quoted by Football.London: “He said literally that if we’re working hard, we’re showing that we’re ready to play that he will put us in. It’s down to us at the end of the day. He said to me he knows I can play 10 or 8 so it just depends, it may vary.”

Pochettino went very strong with the starting line-up that took on Borussia Dortmund for the final game of pre-season. Our guess is the team that takes on Liverpool in the Premier League opener later this month will be very similar.

Chukwuemeka’s reward for some impressive pre-season displays was another start against Dortmund, this time filling into the No 10 position.

We feel the English teenager is more suited to a No 8 box-to-box role with his incredible physicality and ability to break the lines with driving forward runs.

It’s going to be interesting to see how the 19-year-old playmaker develops in the upcoming months.

Chukwuemeka has gone through a relatively quiet first year at Stamford Bridge following his £20million (BBC) arrival from Aston Villa.

However, it feels like Pochettino’s appointment this summer could be the making of him.

Journalist Nizaar Kinsella claimed on Twitter in June that Chukwumeka was weighing up his options ahead of the new 2023/24 season.

Thankfully, it looks like the powerhouse has done enough to grab Pochettino’s attention this summer.

He’s likely to be delighted with minutes regardless of the position, but our preference would be to see more of him in a No 8 role up and down the pitch.