Estevao Willian became Chelsea’s youngest ever Champions League goalscorer on Wednesday night, and Enzo Maresca believes the winger will follow in the footsteps of Cole Palmer
Enzo Maresca reckons Estevao Willian has what it takes to become a No.10 – just like Cole Palmer. The 18-year-old winger propelled Chelsea to victory at home on Wednesday evening, etching his name in history as the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League.
Estevao, whom the Blues snapped up from Palmeiras for £29m, stole the show against Ajax, electrifying the crowd each time he touched the ball. Just before half-time, he opened his European account, beating Remko Pasveer from the penalty spot.
Following the match, Maresca faced questions about the teenager’s progress. Speaking to TNT Sports, the Chelsea manager said: “It’s exciting to see him.
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“The good thing about Estevao, sometimes with young players we are worried, because they have one good game and they think they are already [at the] top. Estavao, he’s playing well but he’s polite, he’s humble, he wants to learn.
“I think his family are also doing a big job there, so we are very happy not only with the way he’s performing. But he’s a nice boy, a good boy.”
On what Estevao must do to secure a regular spot in Chelsea’s starting lineup, Maresca said: “In the Premier League, he needs a little bit more time. I think he’s more [of a] winger, but he’s going to finish playing inside the pitch, in the pockets.
“For me, it’s very, very similar to Cole [Palmer]. I had Cole at the same age as Estevao at [Manchester] City Under-23 and they are very similar.
“Cole started playing wide because he needed a bit [more] physicality; now he’s playing inside. And Estevao, they are quite similar, now he’s playing wide but in the future I think he’s more of an inside player.”
In his post-match press conference, Maresca doubled down on his assessment of Estevao. He said: “With young players, most of the time you are a little bit worried because they play one game, two games, good game, they score, and they think that they are already top players.
“The good thing about Estevao is that we don’t need to be worried about that because he’s very humble, he’s very polite, he wants to work hard. He has a fantastic family, they are very close to him.
“And for me personally, he’s fantastic because he’s a special player, but at the same time you don’t have to be worried. Now he’s going to play one game, two games, score and he’s already thinking that he knows how good he is.
“But the good thing is that he’s a very simple guy, a simple boy.”
Drawing comparisons with Palmer once more, Maresca added: “I feel very lucky to be his manager because it’s exciting, you can enjoy. We said many times, I think the fans at the end, they paid the tickets to see players like Cole [Palmer], like Estevao, this kind of player.
“So it’s nice that we can have players like Estevao, like Cole, like them.”
Meanwhile, on TNT Sports, Joe Cole compared Estevao to Neymar. The former Chelsea midfielder: “He’s brilliant, he’s such a good watch.
“Every time I watch him, I say it all the time: he gives me Neymar vibes. He goes both ways, he’s got brilliant balance, and from the first moment he pulled on a Chelsea shirt in a friendly here, he came on for 20 minutes and had the crowd on their feet two or three times.
“He’s one of those players you love watching…”
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