"He's very talented, he's got a lot of potential, I think given the opportunity he's going to keep developing into a top, top player and we're looking at his results."
You could be forgiven for not quite realising the impact Noni Madueke had for England under-21s against France from Lee Carsley's words. The Three Lions boss kept things simple following his side's 4-0 win over Les Bleus, though ensured Chelsea and their supporters know they have a real talent on their hands should he provided the opportunity following his January transfer.
Madueke was confined to the bench for the first 66 minutes at the King Power Stadium with England leading the game 1-0 upon his introduction. A smart finish backed up by a well-placed pass across the box and a tidy dribble matched with a smart lay-off to Jacob Ramsey saw Madueke pick up the player of the match award after just 24 minutes or so on the pitch.
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The winger has scarcely played for the Blues since his Stamford Bridge arrival having just racked up four appearances in the Premier League after not being selected as one of the three additions Chelsea were permitted to make to their Champions League squad.
Madueke made his debut from the bench against Fulham before starting against each of West Ham and Southampton. Since then he has featured for just six minutes in the win over Leeds and taken his place among the substitutes against Tottenham, Leicester and Everton.
The 21-year-old has shown flashes of quality and an impressive rate of key passes and number of dribbles in his time on the pitch so far. His ability on the ball offered some rare excitement in a difficult February for the west London side but his international outing has served a swift reminder that he has plenty of end-product to offer too.
He may have to wait to regularly deliver that for Chelsea, however. The switch to a system predicated on three central defenders has left little room in the forward positions with Kai Havertz and Joao Felix seeming to have a hold on two of three positions. The final slot has been utilised by Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk and Christian Pulisic so far as Potter pushes his wingers to be the test for the opposition backline.
Saturday's outing proved that Madueke has no problem testing the opposition, albeit from the left and his continued involvement in Chelsea squads will ensure he has plenty of time to adapt to the environment in time to hit the ground running next term where the Blues will intend to have a more successful domestic season.
With the likes of Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech potentially looking for a way out of the club come the summer, Chelsea should be able to trim down their squad and find a system suited to elevated the likes of Mudryk and Madueke more regularly with Reece James and Ben Chilwell being the focus of the teams width at the moment.
The international break has certainly been a good place for Madueke to find confidence and prove his talent once again. With Croatia awaiting on Tuesday, a start could help reinforce to Potter the ability that Madueke has and ensure some prime match fitness ahead of a very busy April.
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