Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca claims that Estevao Willian's rapid development at Stamford Bridge has been aided by three specific teammates.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has revealed that three Blues stars have played a part in the rapid development of Estevao Willian.
Given his vast amount of game time in Brazil as a teenager and no experience of Premier League football, the starlet had been expected to be given time to transition to life in England.
While that is and remains the case, the 18-year-old has been provided with 443 minutes of football spread across 11 appearances in three different competitions.
As well as being one of the difference makers in the thrilling win over Liverpool before the international break, Estevao starred against Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday and scored his first goal in the competition from the penalty spot.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Saturday's Premier League fixture against Sunderland, Maresca acknowledged that his Brazilian and South American compatriots were providing invaluable help both on and off the pitch.
Maresca reveals three Chelsea teammates helping Estevao
Fellow countrymen Andrey Santos and Joao Pedro, as well as vice-captain Enzo Fernandez, were singled out when the Italian addressed the media on Friday.
He said: "We have Andrey Santos and Joao Pedro but they are helping him a lot because they are already new from a different time so they are helping him a lot.
"Us as a staff, as a club, we just try to help him, to give him all the attention that he needs, not just with Estevao, with all the young players that they come from abroad but we said the other day he's a special player, the good thing about him is that he just thinks about football, he enjoys it, he's happy and also, again, his family is doing a fantastic job in terms of the way they grow him up."
Maresca also acknowledged that he supported the decision for Fernandez to hand a chance to take a penalty to Estevao when Chelsea were 3-1 up against 10-man Ajax earlier this week.
"It's very, very good," he added. "I told the players after the game that for sure we were very happy about the winning, about the three points against Ajax but the main thing about that game was Enzo, when he gave the ball to Estevao.
"We got to show how is the team in this moment, how they are all together in terms of togetherness, in terms of effort and this is what we need if we want to try to do something important."
How does Estevao's minutes compare to senior teammates?
In terms of minutes played in all competitions, Estevao has accumulated the 10th most in that category among the outfield players.
The only attacking players to earn more minutes than him are Joao Pedro (795) and Pedro Neto (768).
Fellow new playmakers Jamie Gittens (394), Facundo Buonanotte (279) and Alejandro Garnacho remain behind the former Palmeiras prodigy ahead of Saturday's encounter with the Black Cats.
Having played 90 minutes against Ajax, Estevao is expected to return to the substitutes' bench with Neto and Garnacho getting the nod on the flanks.
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Darren Plant