Callum Hudson-Odoi has been told it is “no longer a question of if but when” he is given a chance to shine from the start for Chelsea on a Premier League stage.
In what has been an eventful 2018-19 campaign for the youngster, he was included from the off by England in a 5-1 Euro 2020 qualification victory over Montenegro on Monday.
That outing, which represented his second senior cap, means he has figured for his country more prominently than he has for his club side in top-flight competition.
Maurizio Sarri has handed the 18-year-old winger 19 appearances this season, but none of those have come within the starting XI for a Premier League game.
That situation is expected to change in the near future, with Hudson-Odoi having shown with the Three Lions what he is capable of when given the freedom in which to express himself.
Chelsea legend Pat Nevin believes more minutes are coming at club level, telling the Blues’ official website: “Callum Hudson-Odoi will arguably be buzzing even more by getting his first England cap and looking perfectly comfortable on that stage at such an incredibly young age.
“It is no longer a question of if but when with regards to his impact for Chelsea in the Premier League.
“The great thing for him is that he will not be jaded at this time of the season.
“Others have had a long, hard slog, many with precious little rest from last season because of the World Cup, but Callum is as fresh as you could hope for and clearly straining like a held-back mustang ready to fly off the reins.”
Having made his England debut off the bench against the Czech Republic, Hudson-Odoi was handed a starting berth by Gareth Southgate in Montenegro after seeing fellow teenager Jadon Sancho pick up a slight knock.
The Blues starlet, who Goal revealed in January to be a top target for Bundesliga side Bayern Munich, will now be hoping to end the season on a positive note at club level.
A big decision will then need to be made on his future over the summer, with no new contract having been signed at Stamford Bridge as yet.
