Time to shine? Reggie Walsh will hope to feature against Qarabag
Chelsea Football Newsletter
Chelsea are expected to hand chances to some academy youngsters in their Champions League clash with Qarabag on Wednesday.
With fixtures piling up, Enzo Maresca is expected to rotate his squad in Azerbaijan.
Maresca has confirmed Pedro Neto has not travelled with the squad, while Cole Palmer, Benoit Badiashile, Dario Essugo, and Levi Colwill are long-term absentees.
Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, and Joao Pedro all trained at Cobham on Tuesday but are nursing knocks. While the South American trio have travelled with the squad, they are not expected to play the full 90 minutes against Qarabag.
Chelsea registered 33 academy players to their Champions League squad of their 5-1 demolition of Ajax, and Maresca is expected to give minutes to some of the Blues’ young contingent in Baku.
Here, Standard Sport looks at three young players who could feature against Qarabag…
Reggie Walsh
Reggie Walsh had not been born when Qarabag manager Gurban Gurbanov was appointed 17 years ago.
That is an impressive stint for any professional manager but also serves to highlight Walsh’s rapid rise after making his Champions League debut against Ajax last month.
Walsh looked assured, albeit against ten men, after taking the pitch in the 66th minute and Maresca called the teenager special in September.
Reggie Walsh signed his first professional contract after making his Champions League debut against Ajax
"I like all the academy guys, but Reggie is the one I like more than the rest,” Maresca said.
"I like Reggie because he is doing things that I'm demanding to the other players, but he is doing those things without me asking him to do that. I don't need to ask him to do something. What he's doing is already what I want from that player."
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Walsh has long been thought of to be among the next off the Cobham production line, and Chelsea will hope to have themselves in a position where they can give the 17-year-old more minutes.
Shim Mheuka
Shim Mheuka has been rewarded for his excellent goalscoring form at youth level by regularly being called up to train with the first-team.
Mheuka made his Premier League debut last season and already has European experience under his belt, after making his senior debut away to FC Astana in December last year.
Mheuka shares a birthday with Walsh, who is a year younger than him, and the pair looked well placed to make an impression sooner rather than later for Chelsea’s first-team.
Sources told Standard Sport last month that Mhueka is “one of, if not the most regular” academy players to join in with first-team training.
The 18-year-old was named the captain of Chelsea’s Under-21s team this season, and has backed up his goals by growing into one of the leaders in Calum McFarlane’s squad despite his age.
Chelsea’s lack of options up front, with Joao Pedro nursing a groin issue, means Mheuka could be in line to make his Champions League debut against Qarabag.
Ryan Kavuma-McQueen
Much was made of Ryan Kavuma-McQueen being named among the substitutes for Chelsea against Ajax.
At just 16 years old, he would have been one of the 10 youngest debutants in the Blues’ history had he entered the pitch against the Dutch giants.
Despite Maresca opting not to use the winger against Ajax, who could still enter the record books by coming off the bench against Qarabag.
Kavuma-McQueen has already featured for Chelsea’s Under-21s team and scored in a 5-2 victory over Benfica in the Under-19 UEFA Youth League, having only made his debut in the competition this season.
The 2009-born forward has enjoyed a rapid ascent to first-team recognition.
Speaking last month, Maresca said he had been left impressed by the young winger.
“He scored four goals against Germany [in England Under-17s’ 7-5 away win]; I even watched that game,” Maresca said.
“I was very impressed, but I already knew him because we have one of my staff always watching the second team (Under-21s) since last year. They told me that this guy was very good, so I watched him. I think he's good.”