Chelsea bow heartens Ake

Chelsea midfielder Nathan Ake was delighted to debut in the Blues’ 1-0 victory over Norwich on Boxing Day.

The 17-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge in 2011 from Dutch club Feyenoord after competing in the Under-17 World Cup with the Netherlands.

Comfortable in both midfield and defence, Ake came on as a late replacement for goalscorer Juan Mata in the 90th minute and has revealed how he felt before stepping onto the pitch for his first ever senior appearance.

“I was nervous when I was brought on. But it was 1-0, so I thought I should just do my job,” Ake told the club’s official website.

“The coach gave a few assignments and he told me to enjoy it. Afterwards the players congratulated me, this was very nice.

“Of course I’m now very happy and proud, but at the same time I realise that I need to keep working hard because this is just the beginning.”

After Manchester City’s defeat away at Sunderland, Chelsea sit just four points behind Roberto Mancini’s side in third and with a game in hand on league leaders Manchester United.