Chelsea call up 14-year-old wonderkid to first-team training ahead of Crystal Palace clash
CHELSEA have called-up a promising young prospect to first-team training ahead of tonight’s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace.
The Blues’ manager Mauricio Pochettino included 14-year-old sensation Charlie Holland during his team’s latest practice session.
Holland was pictured mixing it up with decorated stars, such as Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling and Christopher Nkunku.
This is not the first time the talented teenager has linked up with the senior squad.
The West Londoners’ former caretaker boss Frank Lampard also called the academy star up late last season.
That was after Holland captained Chelsea‘s Under-14s to the Albert Phelan Cup South following a 5-0 triumph over Fulham in the final.
The youngster got his chance this time ahead of the Palace clash.
Academy players are usually invited to train with the first team, but that honour is normally reserved for the Under-21s and Under-18s.
Pochettino is well-known for investing in youth and has handed opportunities to various young talents at Stamford Bridge.
Alfie Gilchrist, 20, Mason Burstow, 20, Alex Matos, 19, and Cesare Casadei, 21, have all been given time on the pitch.
This comes as no surprise as the Argentinian tactician is working with a very young and inexperienced squad that will need time and patience to get into full gear.
Pochettino previously said: “I’m not picking the team because they are young.
“I don’t want to be the coach that picks the youngest team in England.
“We are a young team. We have a good balance. We have Thiago Silva who is 39, we have Raheem Sterling, [29], we have Nkunku, [26], and [Axel] Disasi, [25].
“The problem is not that they are young. The problem is that the team is young.
“We had [many] players that arrived new at the beginning of the season. You need to build a team.
“Always I talk about the team, it’s not about if you have 20 or 19-year-olds. We need to be consistent like a team.
“At the moment we have maybe not so good [balance], because we would be in another position.”