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Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has praised teenage striker Marc Guiu after his heroics in the Blues' win over Shamrock Rovers on December 19. The Spanish youngster scored a hat-trick for his side as they claimed a 5-1 win over the Irish outfit in their UEFA Europa Conference League meeting.
Cucurella picked up a red card in the Blues' last game, a 2-1 win over Brentford, and will not feature when they face Everton in the league on Sunday (December 22). As a result, the 26-year-old was named in a heavily-rotated starting XI for Chelsea in the game at Stamford Bridge.
Marc Guiu was the man of the moment after his hat-trick, and Cucurella spoke with the club's YouTube channel about the display from the teenager. He revealed that the 18-year-old was nervous at the start of his Chelsea career, particularly because of his age and eagerness to score, but is now settled.
“I think he’s a top player. He’s young as well. I think he started the season a bit nervous and with this energy that he wants to score, but with time he can understand the players and understand this football. It’s about time. We’re very happy for him.”
Guiu joined the Blues from Barcelona in the summer for £5 million and has now scored six goals in six games in the Conference League. Left-back Cucurella was also on the scoresheet with a fine strike in the second half, scoring in a second successive appearance for the Blues.
Marc Cucurella ended the day as captain and the most senior member of the Blues backline after Axel Disasi was taken off for 18-year-old debutant Harrison Murray-Campbell. The Blues saw out their 5-1 win to secure a 100% record from the league phase and move straight to the Round of 16.
Chelsea academy stars officially promoted to first team
Chelsea youngsters Tyrique George and Josh Acheampong have officially been promoted to the first team after impressing coach Enzo Maresca in training. The pair of 18-year-olds have become the first players to be promoted under Maresca this season.
George and Acheampong are two of the leading prospects from the club's academy and have been on the books since their U-8 days. They both impressed the coach in pre-season, having been on tour with the first team, but still featured for the U-21 side.
Ahead of the game against Shamrock Rovers, the duo were inducted into the first team dressing room and given their own lockers. They both started against the Irish side and featured for 90 minutes, having also done so against Astana last week.
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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee