Enzo Maresca has shared that he did have some doubt about one Chelsea player before he took the job as head coach.
The Blues appointed another new coach this summer at Stamford Bridge, this time putting Enzo Maresca in the manager’s dugout as the successor to Mauricio Pochettino.
He’s currently working with the squad during their pre-season tour of the United States, but his first competitive game is the Premier League opener against Manchester City on 18 August.
Enzo Maresca admits doubt about Chelsea attacker
Maresca has made the honest admission that he had doubts about Chelsea’s Noni Madueke before joining.
However, the £29m Blues winger (Sky Sports) has started all three pre-season games to date. He even scored from the penalty spot in the recent win over Club America.
Maresca said, as quoted by The Athletic: “I expected exactly what they (the players) are showing me… There was some doubt with Noni (Madueke) but in the way I like the winger, he could be a good profile for us.”
Will Noni Madueke be in Chelsea’s best starting XI?
Madueke scored eight goals in 34 games across all competitions for the Blues last season, but he wasn’t a regular starter until the final stretch. He’s now got to win over a new manager this summer.
The 22-year-old attacker can still be a little inconsistent in his game, but he’s got the natural tools to torment an opposition full-back with his pace and trickery.
His biggest threat could end up being from teammate Cole Palmer, who’s capable of operating as a right-winger or a central attacking midfielder. If Palmer is preferred on the right by Maresca, it could be a long season for Madueke.
Saul Isaksson-Hurst, who works as a personal football coach, shares that Madueke has been practicing his finishing this summer. A good way for him to nail down a permanent starting position would surely be with more goals and assists.
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