The shining jewel of Chelsea’s youth-led project was in action again on Sunday night as the Brazilian first division got underway.
Estevao Willian was looked to as Palmeiras’ potential saving grace again as they were held to a 0-0 draw with Botafogo in the season opener.
The winger has returned to club football after being called up to the Brazilian national team, however fans were frustrated with their manager for not handing Estevao a single minute in what turned out to be manager Dorival Junior’s last games in charge.
Estevao struggled in his most recent game for his current side before making the move to Stamford Bridge, however had a moment that captured just how exciting his future looks in this outing.
After picking the ball up on the right wing, the youngster performed a step over and a quick shift of the ball that left his opponent, Alexander Barboza, on the deck as he drove away.
Photo by Marco Galvão/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
Photo by Marco Galvão/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
Chelsea wonderkid Estevao suffers rough treatment in Palmeiras game
Given how dangerous Estevao is, it is perhaps expected that opposition sides will be looking to target him in order to stop Palmeiras’ most likely threat in attack.
This occured in Sunday night’s game, and despite GE Globo giving him a 6/10 rating, they stated that he was on the end of the most fouls from the opposition.
They said: “He got the fans on their feet by leaving Barboza on the ground with a dribble in the 24th minute and by finishing wide in the 31st minute and in the 38th minute of the second half, but he didn’t score. He was the one who suffered the most fouls in the match.”
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There will be some concerns in West London about the extortianate amount of minutes the youngster has already played in his career.
Estevao’s home pitch is artificial too, a surface which is historically more dangerous for players in terms of picking up potential injuries.
Photo by Alexandre Schneider - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Photo by Alexandre Schneider – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Chelsea’s exciting future for Estevao
Despite still being a teenager, the expectation now is Estevao will stay with Chelsea rather than going out on loan for next season.
Estevao could even become a starter for Enzo Maresca in the upcoming campaign, when he joins the club after the Club World Cup.
This could pose an issue for Noni Madueke, who is currently the most likely option to start on the right of attack when everyone is fit at Chelsea.
There have even been reports that he could be sold this summer, however Blues fans think Madueke can be important for Estevao’s development and ensure there is not too much pressure on him when he does arrive in West London.