'Been really impressed': Graham Potter says Chelsea player he's only picked once has blown him away
Graham Potter was left blown away by the performance of Chelsea youngster Lewis Hall last night against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.
The 18-year-old was picked for the first time this season by Potter, and it was only his second ever first-team appearance.
He delivered an eye-catching display at the Etihad Stadium, which even received praise on Twitter from John Terry.
Chelsea did eventually slip to a 2-0 defeat at Man City, so exit the cup competition in the third round.
A Riyad Mahrez free-kick, along with Julian Alvarez’s close-range finish, ensured safe passage for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Lewis Hall performance
Chelsea boss Potter waxed lyrical about Hall’s contribution on the big stage yesterday.
He feels the teenager put in a really mature performance at left wing-back.
“I really enjoyed his performance. He did brilliantly. He took responsibility, took the ball in tight areas, attacked the box. He showed great quality and effort,” Potter said.
“He could have scored a couple of goals on another day. It was a really nice performance, a mature performance. He’s a quiet lad but he goes about his work, and I’ve been really impressed with him.”
If you’ve never watched the academy games, you might not be aware that Hall isn’t an out-and-out full-back.
He was brilliant against Man City up and down the flank after getting his first senior start of the season, but he often plays in a midfield position for the Under-21s side.
The youngster did fail to convert two clear goalscoring opportunities inside the box, something which may frustrate him.
However, it was such a mature and confident performance against a quality opponent.
Chelsea continue to develop future stars in the excellent academy at Cobham, so perhaps they’ve stumbled across another one.
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