When he was given the proverbial nod by Graham Potter at half-time of Chelsea's goalless draw with Fulham, it was – to quote the man himself – a dream come true for Noni Madueke.
"Thank God that I made my debut in this game, but I am upset we didn't get the win," one of Chelsea's eight January signings said to the club's official website. "Any young boy wants to play in the Premier League, and at one of the biggest clubs in the world, it is a ream come true. I am thankful and blessed."
Madueke, who signed from PSV Eindhoven for around £35million on January 20, was introduced at half-time for fellow new signing Mykhailo Mudryk. Immediately after his introduction, the former Tottenham man brought some much-needed excitement and anticipation at Stamford Bridge after a fairly lacklustre first 45 minutes.
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The 20-year-old is so positive with the ball at his feet, constantly making progressive runs and that coupled with his blistering acceleration and sprint speed makes it really difficult for defenders to cope with him. Madueke loves getting the ball onto his favoured left foot and he looked to do just that with virtually every touch he had.
The Englishman also demonstrated his physical strength on some occasions which makes him quite unique to some wingers who perhaps lack such an attribute. Unfortunately for Chelsea supporters, there was only 15 minutes where Madueke and Reece James were sharing the right-hand side.
Understandably, James was taken off on the hour-mark after being out for a month with injury. Chelsea are very cautious about the right-back's recent fitness troubles and do not want to overuse him and suffer a similar issue in the remainder of the season.
However, James is expected to start against West Ham United on Saturday afternoon as Chelsea look to return to winning ways in the Premier League. It is uncertain, though, whether Madueke will make his full debut for the Blues after his impressive 45-minute cameo against Fulham.
Hakim Ziyech started against the Cottagers on the right-hand side but Graham Potter could be tempted to go for more speed and directness against West Ham at the weekend. Against Fulham, Chelsea dominated the ball – as expected – with 67% of possession, but with the Hammers playing at home, the hosts are likely to be closer to the Blues in that regard.
There are likely to be a lot more counter-attacking openings for Chelsea at the London Stadium, with West Ham expected to be more attacking than Fulham were last week. This could suit the likes of Madueke, and Mudryk on the opposite flank, with both wingers possessing scary speed.
It's also a really exciting prospect to see two Englishmen in James and Madueke down the right-hand side – and something perhaps Gareth Southgate may be interested in. With Madueke constantly cutting in on his left foot, it creates space for James to overlap him on the right. It's something we've seen Liverpool duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah do over the seasons to great affect.
If James wasn't used in this scenario, then it's an ideal decoy run for Madueke who can then make strides towards the box. It sounds dead simple – and it is when written down like this – but it's one of football's smartest tricks to attacking, especially with the evolution of the modern day full-back.
The 45 minutes Madueke played on Friday should be enough to earn him a start against West Ham. If not, then another cameo from the bench will have to do. Madueke is a player that epitomises football and what it should be about: getting supporters off their seats.
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