Chelsea defender Malo Gusto is keeping his feet firmly on the ground ahead of Sunday's Carabao Cup final, despite being given high praise for his immense performance in last weekend's 1-1 draw at Manchester City.
The French right-back did a fine job in shutting down City winger Jeremy Doku at the Etihad Stadium – but he insists that means nothing going into the Blues' Wembley showdown with Liverpool, bluntly stating that he "could be sh*t".
Gusto was speaking to The Athletic as he looks to help Chelsea win their first League Cup in nine years.
Reacting to the plaudits he received for his display against the champions, Gusto, 20, said: "It's nice, but I don’t really care about [praise]; I just want to become a better person and better player. The game against Doku, people talk about it, but it's just one game. Maybe this weekend I could be sh*t and the game after, I could be better. I just have to stay focused, to keep [the] good things.
"I came to Chelsea because I wanted to play against great players. The last game was complicated, but it was good for me to learn, to get confidence [for the Carabao Cup final]. It was good for me. I have good cardio, good legs. This is my football."
Gusto joined Chelsea from Lyon for an initial £26.3m in January last year and has made 24 appearances for the club so far.
Injury to the Blues' first-choice right-back, Reece James, has afforded the France international – who made his senior debut for his country in October – the chance to feature regularly for Mauricio Pochettino's side this season.
More Chelsea stories
Frank Lampard was right to call out Chelsea's players for a drop in standards during his interim tenure last season, says one current Blues star.
Meanwhile, a big-name Arsenal player has been linked with a summer switch to Stamford Bridge.
And the Blues could rival Manchester United for one of the most prodigious strikers in Europe.
