Enzo Maresca names summer signing who he believes will become a 'top player' for Chelsea
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Enzo Maresca has backed Chelsea summer signing Jorrel Hato, whom he thinks can help the team in the Champions League thanks to his experience in European competitions.
Hato is in a rather interesting situation at Chelsea.
He was brought in from Ajax in the summer, largely to provide options in the left-back position alongside Marc Cucurella, with Ben Chilwell leaving to join RC Strasbourg.
Cucurella is still the clear number one option for this position.
However, Hato may have a bigger role to play than initially expected amid Chelsea's lack of centre-back options due to injuries and, more recently, Trevoh Chalobah's suspension.
In addition to that, Maresca has named Hato as one of the young players who can be relied upon in the Champions League.
"We need a high level, no doubt," the Italian told reporters when speaking about Chelsea's return to the Champions League.
"But also we have players young but in the same moment already experiencing this competition.
"Hato for instance from Ajax, he has already experience in this competition.
"For me personally, he will be a top player for Chelsea."
Maresca was wrong about one thing and could be proven right about the other.
Hato has never played in the Champions League, but he has made 17 appearances for Ajax in the second-tier European competition, the Europa League.
What Maresca might have gotten right is that Hato can be a top player for the Blues.
As a fullback, Hato is quite unique. He is quite tall, standing at 6ft (1.82m), which makes him a viable option to play as a centre-back too.
The 19-year-old has played as a central defender for Ajax and, in the last match against Brighton, for Chelsea, too.
It remains unclear whether Hato will start against Benfica on Tuesday, given Chalobah is still available for this game, but for Liverpool's visit on Saturday, Hato is one of the few available centre-back options for Maresca.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.