Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has confirmed Tino Anjorin has been promoted into his first team set-up after injuries to Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech.
The teenager made his full debut for the Blues in a 1-1 draw with Krasnodar on Tuesday night.
The 19-year-old joined the club at the age of six but despite the excitement about his developement, Anjorin had only made two substitute appearances for the club before the visit of the Russian side.
With Chelsea already through to the last-16, it was the perfect chance for Lampard to rotate his squad.
But Anjorin grasped his opportunity with both hands and impressed Lampard enough for the Chelsea boss to confirm he will remain part of his squad while Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi are injured.
‘In training he had shown us last season a real ability to step straight into the level in terms of his ability on the ball,’ said Lampard.
‘He showed it today in the way he receives the ball and how he moves with it very quickly, his physical attributes to protect the ball. He’s had some fitness issues in terms of completing games at under-23 and youth team levels.
‘That’s a work in progress with him but the more he trains with us the better he is. It’s a real good environment for him.
‘With the injuries we have in the short term he will spend more time with us. He did very well tonight. It was a good debut and he grew into the game as it went along.’
Chelsea face a hectic Christmas, taking on the likes of Everton, Wolves, West Ham, Arsenal and Manchester City in the next three weeks.
Lampard is hopeful that both Hudson-Odoi and Ziyech will return to fitness within a fortnight but he clearly wants more options in case the pair suffer setbacks.
‘Both players will hopefully be fit in two weeks,’ said Lampard.
‘They had scans yesterday. I think that’s positive, particularly with Hakim. With Callum we didn’t know what to expect – he got an injury in training a couple of days ago. We’ll see.’
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