Thomas Tuchel has been handed a major Callum Hudson-Odoi dilemma after the Cobham graduate's recent showing against Southampton suggested the claims made by Eden Hazard about his former teammate might just prove to be spot on.
The 20-year-old winger showed glimpses of following in Hazard's footsteps after a succession of flicks and tricks completed an exciting phase of interplay with Mateo Kovacic against the Saints.
Hudson-Odoi linked up well with the Croatian midfielder - just like Chelsea's former number ten once did under Maurizio Sarri - with his clever touch, sharp turn and raw acceleration opening up an attack.
While the England international has been afforded just a handful of games under Thomas Tuchel, Hudson-Odoi was granted a place in the Blues' front-three against Norwich, only for him to be shoehorned back into a right wing-back role for the clash with Ralph Hasenhüttl's side.
Hudson-Odoi has performed well in Chelsea's back-five when called upon, however, in the midst of Roman Abramovich's reported interest in bringing Hazard back to Stamford Bridge, Hudson-Odoi's stellar showing means the Russian billionaire already has the answer to the question 'should Chelsea re-sign the Belgian magician?'.
Abramovich believes that Hazard can rekindle his status as one of the best players in the world if he were to return to Chelsea, according to El Nacional.
The Real Madrid forward's endorsement of Hudson-Odoi in 2019 can save Chelsea the £34 million that El Nacional claim the Blues are willing to spend on Hazard.
And, if the Chelsea youngster's demands - increased game time and a place in the front three - aren't met then the west London side may find themselves losing one of their prized assets - a plight Hazard has already warned his former club about.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Hazard labelled Hudson-Odoi the future of Chelsea and said that he's more than ready to grasp his opportunity.
"He's the future of Chelsea," he began. "I've told him already. He's still young but when you see him he looks like he's played 10 years.
"He's got quality, sometimes I understand it's hard to get young players in the team, but when he has the chance to play they have to show they're ready and Callum is showing that right now."
Hazard then added how Hudson-Odoi can be the main man for Chelsea for a "long time", essentially already ruling out his return to Stamford Bridge back in 2019.
"He's a great guy to work with, he's been fantastic," the Belgian said. "He wants to learn and he's young so I hope Chelsea can keep him for a long time."
Every Chelsea fan would love to see Hazard back at the club, but surely we owe it to Hudson-Odoi to let him prove the Real Madrid man isn't needed?
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