Peter Crouch has claimed on BT Sport that AC Milan’s Rafael Leao has the pace required to be a star.
The 23-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to Chelsea since before this season began.
Leao played a key role in the Serie A side picking up a 1-0 win last night in their Champions League Round of 16 tie against Tottenham.
The result gives them a slender advantage as far as advancing in the competition goes, as former Blue Antonio Conte maintains his poor record in Europe.
The Blues already have plenty of experience facing the Italian champions this season. They were drawn to face them in the group stages.
It was seen by many that the pair of games were an audition for the Portugal international to the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Despite impressing, he ran into Reece James, who put in arguably his best defensive performances against Leao to shut him down.
Rafael Leao impresses Crouch
This seemed to see the England international gain the respect of the winger, who claimed afterwards just how difficult he found his evenings.
Now European football is back, Leao is gaining the attention of pundits again, with Crouch extremely impressed by what he possesses.
He said: “He has so much strength as well, but so much ability. He’s graceful as well, with the power and pace and that’s a devastating combination.”
The left-wing position seems to be one that is actually difficult to get into at Stamford Bridge right now.
The club worked hard to secure the January signing Mykhailo Mudryk from under Arsenal’s noses, with him already playing three times since his move.
With the hope that they have for his future, it is unlikely that the club will invest big again in the position when the season comes to an end.
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