´He´s a fantastic player´ – Maresca lauds Estevao after Chelsea debut

Enzo Maresca described new Chelsea signing Estevao as a “fantastic player” following his impressive debut against Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.

Maresca watched on as his team cruised to a 2-0 victory over the Bundesliga giants, with Estevao giving the Blues the lead with just 18 minutes on the clock.

Joao Pedro concluded the scoring on the stroke of full-time with his fourth goal in his fourth appearance for Chelsea since his reported £60m switch from Brighton.

But at the heart of their triumph was Estevao, whose sensational display will have Chelsea supporters begging for more.

Indeed, the Brazilian registered game-high totals for shots (seven), touches in the opposition box (nine) and attempted dribbles (three).

The 18-year-old also created the joint-most chances of any player on the pitch (three, level with Marc Cucurella), leaving Maresca impressed at full-time.

“He’s very, very young. For sure, as I said yesterday, he is going to help the team. He’s a fantastic player,” Maresca told Channel 5.

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Maresca’s team showed no signs of rustiness from their Club World Cup heroics after putting on a dominant display against their German opposition.

Chelsea were good value for their win, ending the match with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.83 from their 24 shots compared to Leverkusen’s 0.22 from their four attempts.

The Blues conclude their pre-season with a clash against AC Milan before their Premier League opener at home to Crystal Palace on August 17.

And while Maresca was pleased with his side’s performance, he appeared to nod to the situation regarding the uncertainty around Nicolas Jackson’s future at Stamford Bridge.

“I’m very happy with the performance, especially as we have trained just three or four days together,” Maresca added.

“We don’t have time for pre-season. We have another game on Sunday.

“Not all of the players are going to always be happy. If they don’t play, they’re not happy.

“But they have to understand that they are all good – 22, 23, 24 players – and they have to understand that there will be many rotations.”

Maresca also confirmed that Chelsea are looking to further strengthen their defence after the news of Levi Colwill’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

“It’s a priority for me, yes, because Levi is a fantastic player,” Maresca said. “What we achieved last season is because of him also. I love him, I’m going to miss him.”