Ghanaian player Callum Hudson-Odoi has been lauded by Chelsea vice captain for his impressive showing in preseason for the side.
According to Cesar Azpilicueta, Hudson-Odoi will be an 'important player' for Chelsea after his brilliant run of games.
Maurizio Sarri is now deliberating over whether he should start the 17-year-old against Manchester City in the Community Shield, after his display caused problems for Arsenal's right-back Hector Bellerin.
Azpilicueta thinks that his young team-mate is ready to be considered a first team player at the club.
"Callum is really young. He has showed great quality and character," Azpilicueta said at the Aviva Stadium. "He is playing very well. His performance in this pre-season has been very good. Now it is up to him to keep at this level.
"I am sure that if he can keep doing the things that he is doing right now for the team, then he will be very important. That’s something that he has in his hands. We will try to help him and I am sure he will be important for us.
"I started at 17-years-old when I made my debut. It is about consistency. He is coming from an academy level. He played with us a few times last season and he has been with us during this pre-season and he is improving. That’s really important and I know that he still has room to improve.
"He is only 17 and he can go really far. I am sure that if he keeps his head and the way he is performing then he will be very good. Every time he went one-vs-one against him [Bellerin], he was creating problems. In transition he was very good and with defensive work."