Frank Leboeuf praises £32m Chelsea player despite claiming that he’s ‘clumsy’

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Despite being a bit “clumsy” at times, Frank Leboeuf has praised one Chelsea star following his performance against Liverpool.

Chelsea were unable to beat Liverpool at Anfield, but it was another game where Enzo Maresca‘s men looked dangerous.

Nicolas Jackson scored his side’s only goal and had some of his teammates defended a bit better, it would have been enough to earn the visitors a point.

It was Chelsea’s 17th goal in the Premier League this season, meaning that only Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have netted more times than them. Despite his fine start to the campaign, Gary Neville still thinks Chelsea need an upgrade on Jackson if they want to win the title.

• READ MORE: BBC pundit says what ‘tremendous’ Chelsea player is missing after Liverpool defeat

Frank Leboeuf on Nicolas Jackson’s Liverpool display

This term, Jackson has been one of the best attackers in the Premier League, and he proved that with his well-taken finish against Liverpool.

Teammate Cole Palmer, Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland are the only players who have scored more goals than him in English football’s top division.

It was his defensive contribution at Anfield, however, that caught Leboeuf‘s attention, though the Chelsea legend claimed that Jackson is still a bit clumsy at times.

Discussing the 23-year-old on ESPN FC, he said: “Jackson did great. We know that he works hard and can be a little bit clumsy, but his goal was great. The way he works defensively, repositioning himself every time, but also what he offered offensively was very interesting.”

Enzo Maresca’s Christopher Nkunku dilemma

With Jackson in form, Maresca has a bit of a problem with Christopher Nkunku. The 26-year-old is a £50m forward who missed the majority of last season because of injury.

Now that he is fit again, Nkunku will be desperate to play. However, with £32m Jackson scoring and Cole Palmer also performing, Maresca cannot start him up front or in the No.10 position.

Nkunku has thus been reduced to a bench role and when the Frenchman came on against Liverpool, he was forced to play on the left.

The former RB Leipzig star can certainly play on the flank, but that is not where he is most effective.