Conor Gallagher's start to life at Chelsea in 2022/23 has been nothing short of rough.
So, it's brilliant to see a massive smile painted across his face after he netted in England Under 21's latest friendly fixture against Germany. The former Crystal Palace loanee was advancing when he met Anthony Gordon's pass across the box to tap in.
It was an attacking position that hasn't really been on show much in a Blues jersey this season for the 22-year-old. Now former manager Thomas Tuchel opted to play his number 23 in a deep-lying pivot alongside the likes of Jorginho and others.
An experiment which failed miserably as shown with the disaster class type of performance put in during that Leeds humbling at Elland Road. His early red card vs Leicester was a culmination of the frustration the 22-year-old has felt in his early teething days at Stamford Bridge.
READ MORE: Mason Mount can prove Reece James right and hand Graham Potter a timely Chelsea boost vs Palace
Perhaps a new start under Graham Potter, who may optimise his qualities in a different way to his predecessor Tuchel, could be the key to unlocking the Crystal Palace version of the Under 21's midfielder.
Gallagher, as expected, was snubbed by Gareth Southgate for this final international break before the World Cup and despite the odds being against him to make the plane for Qatar, he will do all he can to try and twist the arm of the England manager.
One way he can do that is by scoring goals and getting himself a lot more involved in the attacking play and that's what he did on Tuesday night at Bramall Lane. Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun had drawn the young Three Lions level on the evening before the man in question popped up after half-time with the helping hand of Gordon, who himself didn't get his dream £60milliom move to SW6 over the summer.
Nevertheless, manager Potter, who would have been beaming at what Kai Havertz, Reece James and Mason Mount all did on Monday night, will have more food for thought with what Gallagher produced ahead of his return to Cobham later this week.
Chelsea fans - Who would you like to see start in midfield more out of Conor Gallagher, Denis Zakaria or Carney Chukwuemeka? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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