Enzo Maresca has hinted strongly at a future change of position for Chelsea sensation Estevao Willian.
The Brazilian starlet further enhanced his growing reputation on Wednesday night by delivering a fine performance in the Champions League.
Estevao netted Chelsea’s second late first-half penalty in a 5-1 home rout of Ajax, quickly breaking fellow teenager Marc Guiu’s record as the club’s youngest goalscorer ever in the Champions League less than half an hour after the Spanish striker had broken the deadlock at Stamford Bridge.
It was a night to remember for Chelsea’s youngsters, with Tyrique George also on the scoresheet and the likes of Guiu, Jamie Gittens, Andrey Santos, Jorrel Hato and Josh Acheampong all impressing, while 17-year-old midfielder Reggie Walsh came off the bench to become the youngest Chelsea player ever to feature in the Champions League.
But once again the majority of the headlines were made by Estevao, who continues to go from strength to strength following his move from Palmeiras to west London following the Club World Cup.
The 18-year-old dazzled against Ajax, just weeks after scoring Chelsea’s dramatic last-gasp winning goal against Liverpool in the Premier League, earning comparisons to Neymar from Blues legend Joe Cole.
Estevao has also opened his account for Brazil at senior level over recent weeks, scoring acrobatically in last month’s World Cup qualifying win over Chile before notching a stylish brace in the recent friendly drubbing of South Korea.
A beaming Enzo Maresca insisted after the dismantling of Ajax that Chelsea were lucky to have the teenager, who so far has done most of his damage for Chelsea down the flanks.
However, the Blues boss envisages Estevao switching into a more central role once he fully adapts to the rigours of the Premier League, following in the footsteps of talisman Cole Palmer.
“I think in the Premier League, he needs a little more time,” Maresca said of Estevao. “It’s very similar to Cole Palmer.
“I had him same age with [Manchester] City’s Under-23s. Cole played wide, and now he’s inside. Now Estevao plays wide, but in the future I think he’s more of an inside player.
“I feel very lucky to be his manager because it’s exciting, and you can enjoy.
“We said many times, I think the fans at the end, they paid the tickets to see players like Cole, like Estevao, this kind of player.
“So it’s nice that we can have players like Estevao, like Cole, like them.”
