Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Ryan O'Donovan

Gareth Southgate has a message for Chelsea fans over Sarri's treatment of Callum Hudson-Odoi

Gareth Southgate has sent a message to Chelsea fans about Callum Hudson-Odoi - that Maurizio Sarri has faith in the England youngster.

The Chelsea boss has been hounded by fans over the course of the season for his reluctance to start Hudson-Odoi in the Premier League but has repeatedly said that he does not need to be rushed into the first team.

Sarri has used Pedro and Willian in front of him this campaign but has given him minutes in the Europa League and cup competitions this season.

However, Southgate brought him on as a sub in England's 5-0 hammering of the Czech Republic on Friday night meaning he's got an England cap before he's started a Premier League game for his club.

Fresh Eden Hazard quotes will delight Chelsea supporters amid links to Real Madrid 

For some Chelsea fans, that in itself is a message to Sarri that he should be starting at Stamford Bride, but Southgate has said that he believes Hudson-Odoi is making good progress and has compared it to Marcus Rashford's development at Manchester United.

He also believes that Sarri has faith in the youngster.

Southgate said: "If you look at number of appearances, he has actually been on the field quite a lot.

"And I know from when we were talking with the club earlier in the season how much faith Maurizio has in him.

(ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)

"He has got some outstanding players just in front of him but he’s slowly getting more and more game time, so, I think he’s maturing well.

"There doesn’t need to be a rush for him. We’ve seen that with Marcus Rashford and his development.

"He’s getting first-team football and that’s important. For us, I think his progress is good."

Maurizio Sarri must upset his main Chelsea man to secure top four & Europa League success 

Keep up to date with the latest news, features and exclusives from football.london via the free football.london app for iPhone and Android .

Available to download from the App Store and Google Play .

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.