Chelsea Coach Heaps Praise On Outstanding Nigerian Midfielder

Published: January 08, 2018

Chelsea U18 coach Jody Morris singled out Nigerian starlet Tariq Uwakwe for special praise on the back of his performance against Reading in the U18 Premier League on Saturday, January 6.

In a 4-2-3-1 formation, the versatile midfielder was deployed as a number seven and he caused a lot of problems for The Royals left-back.

Reflecting on the performance of Uwakwe, Morris told Chelsea's official website : ''With Tariq Uwakwe in a No.7 role tucked inside, we felt that he would find decent pockets, which proved to be the case.

''I thought Conor Gallagher and Tariq Uwakwe were both outstanding, on and off the ball.

''As second-years, they need to start grabbing games by the scruff of the neck and leading by example, and I felt they did today.''

An England U19 international, Uwakwe's appearance against Reading was his eighth game for the Blues in the U18 Premier League this term.

The 18-year-old signed his first professional contract with Chelsea in 2016.

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : chelseafc.com