Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has warned against placing too much pressure on young sensation Marc Guiu following his stunning first-half hat-trick in the 5-1 thrashing of Shamrock Rovers in the Conference League.
The prodigious former Barcelona academy star, now the tournament's top scorer on six goals, played a pivotal role as Chelsea completed the group stage with an impeccable record.
Alongside Guiu, teenagers Tyrique George and Josh Acheampong, who just penned a new deal until 2029, also shone at Stamford Bridge.
Despite the competition from seasoned pros Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, Guiu's chances for regular Premier League action may be limited.
Maresca said: "With Marc the problem is sometimes probably we forget his age. He’s the same age as Josh Acheampong, Ty (George), born in 06. He’s already scored six goals in this competition, and since we started he’s working well.
"He knows that with Nicolas and Christo there it’s not easy for him but it’s important he continues to work in the right way."
Guiu dazzled in the first half as Chelsea's reserves decimated the Irish team, capitalising on defensive blunders by Shamrock, with Darragh Burns and Daniel Cleary gifting him two of his goals.
Shamrock Rovers were briefly on level terms thanks to midfielder Markus Poom, who found the net with a deflected shot past Filip Jorgensen. However, Chelsea quickly regained control and never looked back.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall doubled his tally for Chelsea before Guiu scored his third goal from Noni Madueke’s precise delivery.
Marc Cucurella continued his scoring streak, netting his second in consecutive matches to seal a dominant victory and maintain Chelsea's flawless record at the end of the league phase.
"Once again they showed how serious and professional they are in this kind of game," praised Maresca. "Sometimes it’s easy to drop but they know they are not allowed to drop.
"It’s been a good chance for the young players so we’re very happy."
Regarding the inclusion of Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, and Wesley Fofana in the European knockout stage squad, Maresca admitted uncertainty, citing the January transfer window as a factor.
"It depends on the January transfer window, if players are going to leave or arrive, so I don’t have any idea," he added.
On the other side, Shamrock manager Stephen Bradley lamented the errors that cost his team dearly against Chelsea.
"You know when you come to places like this you’ve got to be faultless," he reflected. "You can’t give them goals like we gave them in the first half. Against this level, the slightest mistake you get punished.
"We knew tonight was going to be difficult, we had to be at our very best. You can’t give away silly goals at key moments, but we’re not going to play against this level a lot."
"We’d have taken 11 points and the play-offs before the competition started."