Estevao Willian impressed during his debut season at Stamford Bridge but the Chelsea winger struggled with injuries in the second half of the campaign
12:39, 07 Jul 2026
Estevao Willian
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Estevao Willian caught the eye in his debut season for Chelsea(Image: Marc Atkins)
Chelsea legend Eden Hazard has warned his former club that they need to give Estevao Willian time in his second season at Stamford Bridge.
Estevao signed from Palmeiras last summer and made an immediate impression in west London. Chelsea supporters were desperate to see the 19-year-old winger at every given opportunity but Enzo Maresca, the head coach for the first half of the campaign, was reluctant to use him too much given his age and the burden it could have put on his body.
Either way, Estevao spent the majority of Christmas onwards in the treatment room and right towards the end of the season, the Brazil international suffered a serious grade four hamstring injury. Estevao, in turn, was unavailable for selection for Brazil in the ongoing World Cup and will be hoping to be back in time for Xabi Alonso's first pre-season as Chelsea manager.
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Throughout his short time at Stamford Bridge, Estevao has been inevitably compared to Hazard - one of the Chelsea greats - and the man himself has now been speaking about the new guard in west London. While being very complimentary of Cole Palmer, Hazard was also eager to comment on Estevao.
Speaking to Stake, Hazard said: "Of course I watch Chelsea, and Cole Palmer is a player I really enjoy watching. I hope he can win trophies with the Blues.
"Estevao is still young, so you have to give him time. His first season was pretty good. He's from Brazil too, so he has that natural quality on the ball - he can bring flair and pace.
"I like him. It's a shame he couldn't take part in the World Cup, it's sad for him, but I hope he comes back even stronger."
Hazard also had his say on new Chelsea manager Alonso and how the Premier League could be difficult for the Spaniard to adapt to. The former Blues winger, however, believes his experience of playing for Liverpool in England's top flight could come prove handy for him.
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He added: "I know things were difficult for Xabi Alonso at Real because he didn't necessarily get the time he needed, unlike in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen.
"The Premier League is difficult too, but he knows the competition well. I hope he can bring us what we need. But we can't let Liverpool win either [laughs]."
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