Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca was full of praise for the club’s young stars following their 1-0 win over Djurgarden to book a place in the final of the UEFA Conference League.
The Italian handed 16-year-old Reggie Walsh a starts at Stamford Bridge, making him the youngest player to start an European match for Chelsea.
Kieran Dewsbury-Hall scored the only goal for Chelsea in the first half to seal a 4-1 aggregate win for the hosts.
Maresca has showered encomiums on the young players for their performances in the encounter.
He said: “I’m delighted with the professionalism we showed tonight and during the competition. We were trying to work every day to reach the final, and now we are in the final. The next step is to try to win this competition.
“We can give the chance to this club and these fans to be the first to win all the European competitions, and in terms of this group it’s important to reach the final. The Conference League is a starting point to build a winning mentality, and then try to win more titles in the future.
“We have 20 days to prepare for the final. Before that we have three more Premier League finals, and hopefully we can finish in the right way.”
Chelsea’s academy graduates, Tyrique George, Josh Acheampong Genesis Antwi, and Shimmy Mheuka all featured and impressed in the match.
Maresca said Reggie Walsh was delighted to earn his first start for the club.
He said: “He was happy, he was laughing, he was not worried at all. I told him you have to play in the same way you do in training sessions with us: enjoy it. You could see he was.
“I like Reggie. He is the kind of player who is perfect for my kind of system and the way I want to play. He is 16. One six, 16! You could see the way he was asking for the ball, how good he is on the ball.
“We finished with Reggie [born in] ’08, Genesis [Antwi] and Shimmy [Mheuka] ’07, and Josh [Acheampong] and Tyrique [George] ’06. It’s fantastic for the academy, for Chelsea, and the fans because the future can be important.”
Chelsea will now take on Real Betis in the final of the Europa Conference League on May 28 in Poland.
The Blues will return to Premier League action on Sunday against Newcastle United at the St James’s Park.
