Gabriel Agbonlahor makes prediction about Chelsea’s Noni Madueke after hat-trick

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Gabriel Agbonlahor has just made an interesting prediction about Chelsea’s Noni Madueke following his weekend heroics.

Blues attacker Noni Madueke, 22, enjoyed a very memorable Sunday in the Premier League. The talented right-winger scored his first senior career hat-trick in Chelsea’s 6-2 league win away at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

He was an unused substitute in the team’s defeat to Manchester City in their opening league fixture, but his return to the starting XI versus Wolves proved to be a masterstroke.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on The Here We Go Podcast recently that Madueke is going to stay at Chelsea, despite suggestions that the club were thinking of letting him leave earlier in the summer window.

• READ MORE: Wolves attacker Matheus Cunha gives one-word reaction to Noni Madueke’s performance for Chelsea on Sunday

Gabriel Agbonlahor makes Noni Madueke suggestion

TalkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has just suggested that Chelsea’s Madueke could even be in line for a maiden England call-up next month after his sensational performance in the Premier League.

After naming Madueke in his Team of the Week, Agbonlahor told talkSPORT: “I thought he was outstanding all game [against Wolves]. He’s one of them players that a lot of managers would like, but can they get the consistency from him? He needs to show that to keep his place in the Chelsea side…

“He’s a really exciting player. He’s one to watch for Lee Carsley’s first [England] squad.”

The Lee Carsley factor

It’s perhaps a tad premature to give Madueke a first call-up to the senior England squad, but the logic may be there because of Lee Carsley’s presence.

Following Gareth Southgate’s exit in the summer, England have appointed Carsley the caretaker manager for Nations League fixtures against Ireland and Finland in September. It’s an in-house appointment by the FA because he’s been the England Under-21s boss since 2021.

If Carsley wants to make his mark on the Three Lions squad next month, perhaps he could include some of the young stars he’s coached with the U21s. Interestingly, Chelsea’s Madueke is someone he’s regularly picked for the Young Lions, and it’s a partnership that has worked very well.

When England won the European U21 Championship in the summer of 2023, Madueke was a star performer at the tournament. He scored six goals to help clinch the silverware, including two in the final.

We think if Madueke can nail down a permanent spot in Chelsea’s XI and find consistency, he’d be a decent contender for the England squad in 2025.