Chelsea starlet Tino Anjorin admitted he was surprised when Frank Lampard told him he was going to make his Champions League debut against Krasnodar on Tuesday.
The dead rubber tie was perhaps not as appealing as the previous group matches for some fans.
The Blues would have still qualified top of the group even without the point from the eventual 1-1 draw, while the visitors secured a spot in the Europa League before the game.
However, it was still a special evening for Anjorin, who made his first ever appearance in the Champions League.
Interestingly, the young midfielder said he had a short conversation with Lampard before the game.
“Yesterday [the day before the game],” the 19-year-old told Chelsea TV when asked how he received the news that he was going to start on Tuesday.
“At first, I thought I would be on the bench because I got called in for training.
“But yesterday in training, we put the team out and he [Lampard] said, ‘Tino, left wing’.
“That’s when I was like, ‘Am I starting?’
“After that, Frank came up to me and he [said], ‘Excited for your debut, yeah?’
“I was like, ‘Whoo [laugh]. Yeah, I was always ready.'”
Anjorin, who naturally plays as a No.8 or No.10, added that he doesn’t mind playing in any position.
“It was different, it took me a while to get used to that position,” he explained.
“But on the ball, I thought I [did] well and it’s a performance I can definitely improve on.”
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