Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca says youngster Tyrique George deserves more of a chance to show what he can do having impressed with the opportunity he has received of late.
Chelsea take on Swedish side Djurgården away in the first-leg of their Conference League semi-final on Thursday and Maresca praised George ahead of the clash.
“Ty, we know that he’s doing well,” he said.
“He did well every time, even the last five minutes, the last game against Everton, he was there. And he deserves the chance. If he works well, he deserves the chance.”
Christopher Nkunku will not be available for the game, however, having picked up an injury but Maresca says he will be back before the season ends.
“They’re going to, because it just happened, so they’re going to,” he said.
“We have more news probably, not tomorrow, probably on Friday when we are back.”
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has also been left out of the squad that has travelled to Sweden after picking up a knock against Everton.
Maresca also says the competition represents a huge opportunity for Chelsea.
On whether it would be a failure not to win the trophy, he said: “For sure, I don’t know if [it’s a] failure or disappointment, I don’t know how is the right word in English, but for sure now that we are in the semi-final, the next target is the final, and then once, if we are able to reach the final, we go for the title that personally for me is a big title.
“It’s a huge title, because it’s a European competition, and as I said, we can give this club the opportunity to be the only club in the world to win all the European competitions, so it’s also a responsibility for me, a responsibility for the players to get that.”
