There is no secret that Chelsea have a lot of options when it comes to youth. The club currently have 41 players out on loan around the world, 26 are the age of 23 or younger.
In modern football, it's not always easy for young English players to break into the first team. At Stamford Bridge, players such as Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount are impressing on loan in the Championship in the hope of being able to make that step within the next couple of seasons.
A huge blow for Hudson-Odoi & another wasted Chelsea chance - Talking points from Burnley draw
Players will have now have two examples to look up to. Both Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have fought their way into Maurizio Sarri's starting eleven in recent weeks. In fact, their starts against Burnley on Monday night was the fourth in a row in the Premier League for both players. That is the longest run for an English academy graduate at the club since John Terry's breakthrough season in 2000/01.
Unfortunately for Hudson-Odoi that record won't extend to five in a row with the 18-year-old's season ending prematurely thanks to a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in the first half of the draw with the Clarets.
Prior to his injury, Hudson-Odoi, along with Loftus-Cheek had given Chelsea manager Sarri little option but to give the pair more regular starts. Their form in European competitions, as well as their impact from the bench in the Premier League was enough to convince the Italian to put them both in the starting lineup in the game against Brighton.
Loftus Cheek scored and assisted in that game, while Hudson-Odoi provided another assist in the three nil win. Both maintained their place in the starting lineup for the following match against West Ham United.
Both youngsters have also made an impact on the international stage. Hudson-Odoi picked up his first senior international start for the Three Lions in March, despite then not having started a Premier League game for Chelsea. Loftus-Cheek was not in that squad, but has previously earned 10 senior outings for England, four of them coming in last summer's memorable World Cup in Russia, where England made the semi-finals.
Hudson-Odoi was strongly linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge in the winter, with Bayern Munich interested in taking him to the Bundesliga. But with regular starts now under his belt, after recovery from injury, next season could prove to be a big one for the 18-year-old.
'We are with you' - Hudson-Odoi's team mates send heartfelt messages of support after injury
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