Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior highlights academy prospects Jesse Derry and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, who accompany the first team to Wrexham for the FA Cup fifth-round clash on Saturday. Rosenior urges the young duo to emulate club captain Reece James as the Blues aim to secure a quarter-final spot.
Young Talents Earn First-Team Exposure
The 17-year-old Kavuma-McQueen and 18-year-old Derry seek to seize their opportunity after impressing in training. Rosenior praises their potential alongside other academy standouts.
“Jesse’s really impressed me, Ryan’s impressed, but it’s not just those two,” Rosenior states. “There have been a few that I’ve got to see in training when they’ve been brought up that I’m really happy with. Reggie Watson has trained with us a few times, he’s really impressed me. It’s scary the age that he is. Young Mahdi [Nicoll-Jazuli] has been up a few times, he’s an outstanding talent as well.”
Recent Debuts and Bench Appearances
Derry, who transferred from Crystal Palace last summer, debuted for the senior side during Chelsea’s FA Cup fourth-round victory over Hull City. Kavuma-McQueen earned a bench spot against Ajax at Stamford Bridge in October but awaits his first-team outing.
Rosenior emphasizes the strength of Chelsea’s Cobham academy and commits to nurturing its tradition. “There are some outstanding young players in the group,” he adds. “We just need to make sure we put them in at the right time and they get the experiences that they need to continue their development.”
The coach references attending an FA Youth Cup match against Manchester City and reviewing Under-21s footage to scout talent. “There’s nothing better than giving a young player who has come through the Academy their debut, or seeing them grow,” Rosenior notes. “Look at Reece [James] now, or Trevoh Chalobah, and what this club means to them. That should always be in your thinking, to want to develop, and this is an outstanding Academy that has produced so many incredible players through the years. We want to continue that and make sure the pathway for those players is there.”
