Michael Golding celebrated making a first-team debut this weekend during Chelsea’s win against Preston North End.
Chelsea youngster Michael Golding, who’s only aged 17, is part of the latest batch of talents coming through the youth ranks at Cobham.
The central midfielder was included in Mauricio Pochettino’s matchday squad for yesterday’s FA Cup third-round tie at home to Preston, which they did end up winning by a convincing 4-0 scoreline. However, it took until the second-half for the hosts to find any rhythm at Stamford Bridge.
It’s a day that Golding will never forget after coming off the bench late on to make a senior debut in Chelsea colours.
Remarkably, the English teenager spurned an opportunity to score a debut goal with a weak effort inside the penalty box.
Let’s hope we get to see more from the highly-rated academy graduate in 2024, though!
Golding uploaded a post on Instagram to celebrate his first ever appearance for Chelsea’s first team.
He received responses in the comment section from first-team stars such as Reece James and Benoit Badiashile to congratulate the youngster on what he’s just done.
Michael Golding debut
Golding’s played across Chelsea’s Under-18s side and Under-21s team already this season, so a step into the first-team picture this week suggests he’s on a steep upwards trajectory.
The 17-year-old is a versatile midfielder that likes to get forward and has represented England as high up as the U18s age group.
On top of Golding’s debut, Chelsea were led out by academy graduate Levi Colwill wearing the captain’s armband versus Preston. Alfie Gilchrist made his first ever senior start in Saturday’s cup victory, too.
Many fans have been concerned that the door from the academy to the first-team squad may be closing due to the sheer volume of transfers under this particular ownership, but Pochettino is the right individual in the manager’s dugout to keep that alive.
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