BBC pundit delivers Samuel Rak-Sakyi verdict as Chelsea youngster impresses vs Astana

Add as preferred source on Google

Chelsea continued their flawless run in the UEFA Europa Conference League by beating Astana 3-1 on Thursday.

Enzo Maresca gave several of the Blues’ young players a chance to impress in Europe.

Chelsea’s teenage trio of Tyrique George, Josh Acheampong and Samuel Rak-Sakyi started proceedings.

Chelsea fans lauded Acheampong’s display against Astana.

Another youngster who turned heads with his display was the 19-year-old Rak-Sakyi, who made his full debut for the West London side.

The Englishman was deployed alongside Kieran Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka in the middle of the park.

• READ MORE: What Chelsea have awarded to fans making the 7,000-mile round trip to Astana for UEFA Conference League clash

Lucy Ward says Samuel Rak-Sakyi “looked really comfortable” during Chelsea vs Astana

Lucy Ward was full of praise for Rak-Sakyi for how he fared in a Chelsea shirt against Astana.

Ward said via BBC Sport: “Samuel Rak-Sakyi just deals with the ball really well. Everything he does is really simple and that’s exactly what you need from that position.”

“He is another of the Chelsea youngsters who has looked really comfortable out there today.”

The young central midfielder looked like a seasoned campaigner in midfield, showcasing his technical quality, making wise decisions in possession and being seemingly fearless to get on the ball.

Enzo Maresca would have been delighted with Rak-Sakyi’s latest performance.

Rak-Sakyi stats for Chelsea against Astana

The numbers further prove how well the Chelsea prospect played in Kazakshtan.

Firstly, the fact that Rak-Sakyi was confident enough to get on the ball to the extent that he had 100 touches speaks volumes of his seeming self-assuredness.

Furthermore, managing to misplace just one out of 88 passes goes to show how reliable Rak-Sakyi is in possession, which is a valuable trait for a midfielder to possess if they aspire to play in Maresca’s ball-dominant system.

It seems like Chelsea have a young talent on their disposal who has the technical ability and composed temperament to be regarded as a quality midfielder at senior level one day.

As long as Rak-Sakyi continues to impress Enzo Maresca in training and on the pitch, he could very well become a key cog in their first-team squad one day.