What is stopping Chelsea star Pedro Neto from being 'truly elite' revealed
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Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has highlighted the one problem Pedro Neto is struggling with at Chelsea, despite his ability to be "influential" in games more often.
Despite being overlooked among the key players at Chelsea, Pedro Neto is undoubtedly in this list.
The fact that he has played more Premier League minutes than other Chelsea outfielders, aside from Trevoh Chalobah and Enzo Fernandez, backs this up.
The 25-year-old has also provided five goals and four assists for Chelsea in the league this season. Only Joao Pedro, Enzo Fernandez, and Cole Palmer have had more output so far.
In the latest episode of The Overlap, Gary Neville asked Martinez if Pedro Neto is a similar player to Eden Hazard.
Martinez is currently the head coach of Portugal and previously coached Belgium, so he should know.
Unsurprisingly, the former Everton manager said no.
"Eden Hazard was somebody that would stop the game and find his one v one - he got that pause," Martinez explained.
"Neto is the opposite. He accelerates the game."
Asked if there is anything holding Neto back from getting to the top at Chelsea, Martinez responded: "Nothing really. I think he's been adapting to the number of games at Chelsea.
"Because he's the type of player that (would find it tough to play) a game every three days.
"He's still young. He had a big injury when he was young, and I think he's still adapting.
"But the moment he is able to play three games a week, he'll have that influence every game.
"He's a vertical player. He's somebody that is going to open the game up, however you want to do it."
Pedro Neto is quite known for being streaky with his output. Martinez's claim might have explained that.
Ironically, the Portugal international's durability, along with his versatility as an attacker, is what makes him such an important player for Chelsea.
He has only missed two games for Chelsea this season due to injuries and played multiple positions, including as a false nine.
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.