Mario Melchiot Insists Chelsea Must Copy Man Utd & Put Faith in Young Players

Former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot has warned the Blues that they must improve their management of young players if they are to continue their legacy. In

Former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot has warned the Blues that they must improve their management of young players if they are to continue their legacy.

In Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Chelsea have two incredibly exciting young talents in their first-team squad, but neither has managed to cement a permanent place in the lineup. 

Loftus-Cheek came off the bench to score a late winner in Sunday's win over Cardiff City, while newly-capped England star Hudson-Odoi remained an unused substitute.

'An amazing feeling!' 😁

@Rubey_LCheek tells us exactly what he was thinking after that decisive late goal in Cardiff today! pic.twitter.com/PCuKF6uuXC

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 31, 2019

Speaking to the Daily Star, Melchiot insisted that manager Maurizio Sarri must put more faith in the young players, just like rivals Manchester United do.

He said: “I feel like there has to be a solution for you as a player and for you as a club. You have to sit down and make a choice, because players like Loftus-Cheek need to push on and take the opportunity.

“We cannot put everything on the club, I have to be honest too. As a player you have to take your opportunity. If you don’t take your opportunity, you should not be complaining.

Michael Regan/GettyImages

"I cannot only look at Sarri, I cannot only look at the club. I’ve got to look at the whole picture and I’m not there every day, but I can only say to you that at some moments I’m sure Sarri could give more opportunities to the players, to the young players.

"But the other part is that the club also has to put their foot down and say ‘you have to use our homegrown talent’ just like Manchester United does.

Michael Regan/GettyImages

“United is very straightforward with it. They use their homegrown talent because they want their tradition to live forever. How long until we’re going to find another John Terry? Come on guys, come on now.”

Terry is the last academy graduate to have made a consistent impact at Stamford Bridge, but Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek, alongside Andreas Christensen, are vying to become the next first-team star at Chelsea.