‘Special’… Petr Cech compares 24-year-old Chelsea man to Matthijs de Ligt after win against Crystal Palace

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Petr Cech has suggested that one Chelsea player could become a real leader like Bayern Munich star Matthijs de Ligt.

Matthijs de Ligt was still a teenager when he was named Ajax captain before moving to Juventus and then Bayern.

Conor Gallagher was 23 when he captained Chelsea for the first time this season, a few years older than De Ligt when the central defender was wearing the armband at his former club. However, it is still quite a young age for a skipper, which resulted in Petr Cech making a comparison between the two on Sky Sports last night.

The Chelsea legend was a guest on Monday Night Football, where he watched his old side come from behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park.

Gallagher ran 13km that match, a statistic the midfielder was surprised to hear.

Petr Cech tips Conor Gallagher to become a captain like Matthijs de Ligt

Like De Ligt, Cech thinks there is a reason why Gallagher has been trusted with the captain’s armband this season.

Discussing the two players on Sky Sports, the retired goalkeeper said: “You find it that even young players have this special ability to be a leader, even at a young age. When you look at De Ligt, for example, he was a captain when he was 19. And it’s not because somebody decides to give you the armband.

“There must be some natural ability and I think Conor is one of those players who as I said, he always works hard, he always cares and he always tries his best and, of course, he’s a Chelsea boy at the same time. So there is natural ability in him, never give up, and he’s pushing and he’s probably one of the captains in the making because the way he is.”

Could Conor Gallagher and Matthijs de Ligt actually become team-mates in the summer?

Chelsea have been linked with De Ligt in the past. According to the Evening Standard, the Dutchman was a target for the club in 2022.

It remains to be seen if De Ligt is still on their radar; however, it is being reported that he is not completely happy at Bayern at the moment.

That means Chelsea could have the chance to sign him. And with Thiago Silva’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, they may very well need to bring in a new centre-half ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, so who knows?