Estevao Willian
Estevao Willian has played 29 minutes of Premier League football this season(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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Former Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has urged Estevao Willian to remain patient as the teenager looks for regular first-team minutes this season.
It's early days at the time of writing - with six games marking just over 15% into the new Premier League season - but the 19-year-old winger has barely been used by new Blues manager Xabi Alonso yet. It has sparked question marks over his future with Brazilian media suggesting he will consider his future in the January transfer window if his lack of game time continues.
Estevao has played just 29 minutes - not including added time - in the top-flight thus far this season, and not one of his five appearances have come from the start. Chelsea's front three of Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro have started the season so well that it makes each of them virtually impossible to drop.
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Palmer has two goals and three assists in the Premier League, Rogers has four and one, while Joao Pedro has the most impressive record thus far with five and three. They have swiftly established themselves as the most-feared attacking trio in the country - and Europe for that matter.
Estevao's chance will come, though, according to Wright-Phillips. The ex-Chelsea wide man has told the Brazil international to keep on his toes and seize the opportunity when it comes his way.
Speaking exclusively to football.london, courtesy of OLBG, Wright-Phillips said: "That [whether Estevao should be considering his future] is a tricky one, because Chelsea's a massive, fantastic club. The fans are awesome, and I know it's where he really wants to be.
"But I think his situation is tough because of the formation and the system Xabi Alonso is playing, so it looks like his chances are limited at the minute.
Estevao Willian in action for Chelsea
Estevao Willian in action for Chelsea in their win over Bournemouth(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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"But in football, things change very quickly. All he needs is a couple of games, and he might change Xabi’s mind, where he’s the main star or focus in that position."
Wright-Phillips added: "I don't think Estevao is a wing-back anyway, and I think it can still work, because you can still play Estevao, Cole Palmer at 10, Rogers left and Joao Pedro up front. So it can still work if he does change his system - but when he was at Bayer Leverkusen, he didn't really do that.
"And I understand if he doesn't, because if it’s a winning formula and it's working, why would you change it? So let's see what happens. Hopefully he does change it, because to have him alongside Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro - they were a scary front three to start with, and that would now become a scary front four."
Estevao is a huge talent and he is thought of so highly at Chelsea. Blues sources continue to view the teenager as untouchable and an integral part of their long-term future.
Estevao Willian celebrates
Estevao Willian is yet to start a Premier League game under Xabi Alonso(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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The Brazilian is also idolised in his homeland. So much so that there are occasionally Brazilian journalists that make their way over to Cobham to ask Alonso questions regarding Estevao - and that was the case during last Friday's pre-Bournemouth press conference.
"It's still early, just a few games since we started and Este, he's feeling much better from the [hamstring] injury," said Alonso, when asked about Estevao's limited minutes this season. "We have seen in Brazil that he has played more, the context is different, what he has played with the national team to the Premier League.
"But we know the demand of the Premier League and we know Este, how important he can be in some games and he will have his moments and more minutes."