Micah Richards thinks Chelsea may have stumbled across another gem in Lewis Hall, who delivered a really impressive first-team performance yesterday.
Hall’s only previous senior game before this week came in the FA Cup last season against Chesterfield.
However, the 18-year-old was handed a starting position during Wednesday’s trip to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup.
He ended up on the losing side in a 2-0 defeat, which means Graham Potter’s side have three defeats in four games now.
However, he was so impressive both in and out of possession at the Etihad Stadium.
It’s worth noting Hall has explained he prefers playing in a central midfield position, but the versatile star was fantastic as a left wing-back against Man City.
Lewis Hall performance
Sky Sports pundit Richards was blown away by the performance of Hall against the English champions in midweek.
He highlighted just how confident the left-footer looked during his 75 minutes on the pitch before he was substituted off.
“Before he was taken off, he was one of the best players on the pitch,” Richards told Sky Sports’ Main Event channel (10:30pm, 9 November).
“His influence within the game, and the confidence for such a young lad, it was really good to see.
“They might have just found themselves a gem. It’s another one to come through the academy.
“He was excellent all night, whether it was running in behind, whether it was defending, or whether it was just that confidence to get on the ball in difficult moments when other players didn’t want to have it. On another day, he could have got two goals at the Etihad. His performance tonight was magnificent.”
Chelsea fans will hope that Richards is correct and they’ve got another future star coming through the academy ranks.
The composure and calmness that Hall showed on the ball against a world-class opponent is what stands out the most.
He stepped into an out of form Blues XI that are individually miles from their best, but put in a remarkably good contribution.
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