'Definitely hit the ground running' - Chelsea U18s Nigerian coach Sulaiman praises 21-goal striker

Chelsea U18s Nigerian coach Hassan Sulaiman was pleased with the performance of Donnell McNeilly in his side's 3-0 win over Brighton & Hove in an U18 Premier League match at Cobham on Wednesday afternoon.

Sulaiman handed a start to red-hot winger Tyrique George while Chinonso Chibueze entered the game as a substitute with sixteen minutes left.

Donnell McNeilly was the star of the show as he inspired the young Blues to a comfortable win by scoring a hat-trick.

The 18-year-old opened the scoring from the spot in the first minute and then doubled the advantage at minute 33 when he unleashed a pinpoint shot into the bottom-right corner from outside the box.

His hat-trick was completed three minutes into the second half with a composed finish off an assist by Josh Acheampong.

McNeilly has scored a total of 21 goals across various competitions for Chelsea's youth teams, with 15 in the U18 Premier League, four in Premier League 2, and two in the FA Youth Cup.

Speaking to Chelsea's official website post-match, Sulaiman said: "He got sent off against Leicester, which he was bitterly disappointed with himself about, and since he’s been back he’s definitely hit the ground running and bounced back from his suspension.

"This hat-trick takes him to 20 goal involvements in 17 games for the Under-18s this season. That's a testament to him and his hunger to want to perform well and keep driving the team forward."

Chelsea U18s are second in the southern section of the U18 Premier League and have three games in hand over table-toppers West Ham United. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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