Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has hailed ‘fantastic’ Estevao Willian as a ‘special player’ as the teenager continues to shine for the Blues.
The 18-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge over the summer after agreeing a deal to join Chelsea from Palmeiras last yaer.
At such a young age it was very possible he would take a while to settle into life in England but he has already made an impact.
The Brazilian scored a dramatic late winner over Liverpool to net his first Premier League goal in memorable fashion.
He then scored his first goal in the Champions League on Wednesday night, being entrusted with a penalty in the 5-1 romp over Ajax.
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The teenager already has nine caps for Brazil and there is hope in his home country, and in west London, that he will develop into one of then world’s best wingers.
Maresca feels he has the right attitude to do so, picking him out as not just a special player, but with the correct mindset to succeed.
‘With young players, most of the time you can be a little bit worried because if they play one or two games well and they score, they think that they are already top players,’ said the Italian.
‘The good thing about Estevao is that we don’t need to be worried about that. He’s very humble, he’s very polite, he wants to work hard. He also has a fantastic family; they are very close to him.
‘For me, personally, he’s fantastic because he’s a special player, but you don’t have to be worried.’
Chelsea hero Joe Cole is also a big fan of the talented youngster, comparing him to Brazil’s all-time record goal-scorer.
‘He’s such a good watch,’ Cole told TNT Sports. ‘Every time I watch him, he gives me Neymar vibes.
‘He goes both ways. He’s got brilliant balance. He gets the crowd on their feet and he’s a player you love watching.’
Maresca also compared him to another player, saying Estevao reminds him of the Brazilian’s Chelsea teammate Cole Palmer.
‘For me he is very similar to Cole Palmer, who I had at a very similar age at Man City,’ Maresca said.
‘Cole started to play wide because he needed to build his physicality and now he is playing inside.
‘With Estevao, they are quite similar. Now he is playing wide but in the future I think he is more of an inside player.’