Former Chelsea star Pat Nevin has backed Kai Havertz to become one of the world's best footballers "over the next decade". The 22-year-old German has been in superb form for the Blues this season as he currently leads the goal scoring chart at the club.
Havertz has 13 goals to his name this season in all competitions, with Mason Mount and Romelu Lukaku both one behind their team-mate on 12 each. Chelsea bought the Germany international for a then-club record fee of £72million from Bayer Leverkusen, in a move that really excited Blues supporters.
The young German was seen as one of European football's brightest young talents, but it took a little while for him to settle into life in England. That, of course, wasn't helped by the coronavirus pandemic and the impact it had on all footballers.
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Havertz tested positive for Covid-19 in November 2020 and revealed he was hit "very hard" by the virus. "It was like a very bad flu for me so I think now I know it is very bad for people," the Chelsea attacker told BBC's Football Focus.
"Before, I sometimes thought: 'OK, it is not so bad', but now I get it and I know for older people and people who had illnesses before, it can be very hard. We all have to look out for each other. To be honest, it was personally very hard.
"When you do nothing for two-and-a-half weeks and then you start training again, you feel like you have never played football before. For me, it took two or three weeks to get back to 100%."
Contracting the virus undoubtedly set Havertz back as he was adapting to life in the Premier League. However, as the season progressed, and with the introduction of his German countryman Thomas Tuchel, Havertz began to look like the sort of player Chelsea fans were hoping for when Marina Granovskaia snapped him up in the summer of 2021.
The versatile attacker was starting to be used in the 'false nine' position on a frequent basis and was producing his best football in the complex role. The German starred in Chelsea's famous Champions League final victory last May, scoring the only goal of the game as the Blues beat Manchester City 1-0 in Porto.
It was the biggest goal of Havertz's short career so far. He then went onto score the winning goal in the FIFA Club World Cup final earlier this year in Abu Dhabi as he continues to grow his reputation of being a big-game player.
It's not just his goals in big matches that have been catching the eye, though - it's his all-round game. His technical ability is second to none. Sometimes it's frightening what he can do when the ball is at his feet in tight areas that look near-impossible to get out of.
Former Chelsea man Nevin, while referencing the two aforementioned big goals, believes the German can become one of the best in world football over the next 10 years or so. "Another one, Kai Havertz, can be taken for granted a wee bit by some," Nevin said to Lord Ping.
"Just consider, he scored the winning goal in the Champions League final, he scored the winning goal in the World Cup final and he's only a kid. He has got the elegance and the brilliance that [Michael] Ballack had but maybe even more so.
"I won't be surprised if this lad goes on and scores the winner in a World Cup final, he's one of those players who's blessed with everything and he's even an elegant player too. In fact, I'm beginning to hate him. He's got everything!
"He is a fabulous player and I do urge anyone, if you're a Chelsea fan or not, to watch the elegance of this player. He is a joy to watch and he's going to be one of the best players around over the next decade."
Havertz is likely to be in the starting line-up on Thursday evening as Chelsea travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United. A victory for the Blues all but cements a top four position this season and Havertz is set to be a key component in any such performance.
