Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has praised winger Noni Madueke for working hard and forcing his way back into the starting lineup this season.
The 21-year-old struggled for minutes during the first half of the season, featuring in just six of the first 17 Premier League games of the campaign and starting just once, with Pochettino openly challenging Madueke to raise his performances in training if he wanted to play more minutes.
In response to that challenge, Madueke impressed off the bench in the 2-1 defeat to Wolves before scoring as a substitute against Crystal Palace, and he capped off an excellent few weeks with a start and a goal in Chelsea‘s victory over Luton Town.
“We have spoken about players needing to improve and he is a player that has improved a lot,” Pochettino said of Madueke. “I am so happy with his behaviour and the way he has committed, first with himself and also with the other areas of the club.
“He has potential and talent, but it’s in the way he behaves and does things in the future that will help him succeed.
“It is an example that there is a platform for everyone, then it is about being right in your mind and being consistent in the way we propose they behave.”
Pochettino also moved to put an end to suggestions he played a part in Madueke’s decision to leave Tottenham Hotspur for PSV Eindhoven when he was 16 years old.
“He was 16 when I was there; we knew him because we followed the players in the academy at Tottenham, but he was a talented player,” the boss said.
Madueke is expected to play a part in the FA Cup third-round clash with Preston on Saturday after Pochettino confirmed he will play close to his strongest side against the Championship outfit, who currently find themselves 14th in England’s second tier.
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