‘Really humble guy’ – Roberto Di Matteo names Chelsea star who ‘surprised’ him | Football

Former Chelsea player and manager Roberto Di Matteo says he has been pleasantly ‘surprised’ by one of Enzo Maresca’s stars this season.

After a shaky start to the campaign, Chelsea have found top form, losing just one of their last 11 games, a run that includes impressive wins over Liverpool, Tottenham and most recently Barcelona.

This form has seen them climb to second in the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s huge clash against leaders Arsenal. Victory at Stamford Bridge would see the Blues close to gap to just three points.

Maresca’s squad is brimming with top talent like Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez but it is one of their promising youngsters who is getting the fans excited.

18-year-old Estevao moved to west London last summer in a transfer worth up to £51million but many already believe the winger is destined to become one of the best players in the world.

Already a key player for the Brazil national team, he has scored five goals in 17 appearances this season, most of which in the Champions League, with Maresca hesitant to start him in the Premier League.

Supporters are clamouring for Estevao to be in the line-up against the Gunners and Di Matteo admits he has been ‘surprised’ at how quickly the youngster has adjusted to life in England, both on and off the pitch.

‘It amazes me how mature he is for his age,’ the former midfielder, who guided Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2012, said on Sky Sports.

‘I watched him in the FIFA Club World Cup when he played there for Palmeiras, but to expect him to come to England, a new country, new language, new environment, and start off so well, that did surprise me a little bit.

‘But you meet him and he’s a really humble guy. He’s got a great family behind him, so he’s very settled in London, in Cobham.

‘He is an exciting player. When I first watched him in the States I was like, “wow, this is a special talent”. He’s slowly developing because let’s not forget, he’s still very, very young.

‘But he has so many skills and attributes and he’s only going to get better. He’s going to be a top, top player.’

Di Matteo was also very complimentary of Arsenal, but believes there is a way through their impenetrable team: ‘At the moment they look unstoppable.

‘They’ve been very consistent, not just this season but probably the last two or three seasons, and they’ve just become stronger and stronger.

‘They’re very solid now, their defensive organisation is brilliant and that’s why they’ve conceded the least amount of goals in the Premier League. But they have such an attacking threat as well.

‘It’s very difficult to play against the Arsenal team because they press you very high, very hard, so you don’t have much time on the ball. So, you have to be able as an opposition to go past the first press. If you manage to do that then you might have a bit of space because otherwise they just suppress you.’

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