Chelsea can show why their once criticised mantra is ahead of the curve vs United - opinion

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that Chelsea’s youngsters are ahead of Manchester United’s at the moment.

What did he say?

The Blues will face the Red Devils in the next round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, and it will likely be a chance to see both sides’ younger players at Stamford Bridge.

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Speaking ahead of the game, the Norwegian boss said:

“Frank has got players that have been on loan for one or two seasons in the Championship. The difference between my youngsters is that they are almost stepping right now onto the scene.

“Axel Tuanzebe has missed the last couple of games, but he has been out on loan (at Aston Villa last season) and you can see the benefit. I think Chelsea’s young players benefit from that now.”

Should follow Chelsea’s blueprint

The likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori have all caught the eye so far this term, with the three even being selected for Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

Along with Reece James, they are relatively new to Premier League audiences – they have just one full season in the top flight between them with Abraham featuring for Swansea two seasons ago.

However, they are all experienced professionals even at a young age. Between the four of them, they have made 390 career appearances already, with the oldest of them only just turning 22.

The quality of those performances last year were enough to make the south-west London outfit’s hierarchy stand up and take notice.

Tomori was named Derby’s Player of the Season, whilst Mount played 44 games in all competitions for the Rams. James, too, won a Player of the Year award, this time at Wigan, whilst Tammy Abraham scored 26 goals for Aston Villa on their way to promotion to the Premier League.

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The quality of their displays show this campaign. The Blues are now four points clear of Arsenal in fourth place which shows just how much they have benefited from those short-term spells.

Chelsea’s loan system has often been criticised, but Solskjaer and co should follow their blueprint moving forward.

United’s group includes the likes of Mason Greenwood, James Garner, Brandon Williams, Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes and Axel Tuanzebe. The latter has clearly played the most games, but even he has managed just 48 matches at the age of 21. They would all certainly benefit from regular minutes in men’s football too.

The two sides will face off this Wednesday, and Chelsea will be looking to prove exactly why they are in a healthier position than United. Spending all of that time away in the Championship has put them in the position to do so.

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