'Everybody is talking sh*t' - Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson hits back strongly at critics who he says 'don't know football' and reveals Mauricio Pochettino has compared him to Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah

In Saturday's 2-0 win over Sheffield United, the 22-year-old scored his eighth goal of the season and seventh in the Premier League. And he celebrated the Blues' back-to-back Premier League victories by taking aim at his and the club's doubters. After joining Chelsea for £32 million from Villarreal in the summer, pundits and fans have questioned if the Senegal international is good enough to lead the line, with the attacker guilty of being wasteful in front of goal. Jackson also talked about Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino motivating him by comparing his struggles with Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne's struggles at Stamford Bridge before becoming Premier League legends.

Asked how he evaluates his season so far, Jackson said [via The Standard]: "It is OK, it is not what I was going for, though it is my first season, so I am happy, although everybody is talking sh*t, I am very happy I don't care what people say."

"It is just people who don't know about football. I will just continue to play more games and score more goals for the team. I should have scored more because I have missed some chances. The Premier League is different from La Liga, where I came from. I am trying to adapt myself.

"It is not an excuse. I am trying to continue to work harder and listen to people. Not the people who do not know football, I listen to the coach that knows more football and try to improve myself."

Jackson continued: "He [Pochettino] has been with a lot of young players, so he motivates me every day and tells me to go and he has seen people worse than me [in the past] and they are now big players."

"[Kevin] De Bruyne was here and [Mohamed] Salah was here. They struggled here and are now big players. They didn't listen to people who don't know football, he keeps telling me that. He knows football; they don't know football, so I don't listen to them."

Despite his struggles, the former Senegal under-20 international has been the club's top scorer as he has been Pochettino's only consistent striking option due to Christopher Nkunku only just returning from his pre-season injury and Armando Broja suffering from recurring injury issues. The Blues have struggled all over the field under the Argentine boss as they sit 10th in the Premier League standings having won only six of 17 games so far in the league.

The Casa Sports academy product will now be in action with the Blues when they take on Newcastle United later tonight in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. Jackson will be hoping to get on the scoresheet as the tournament could be one of Chelsea's only shots at silverware this season.