Chelsea captain Reece James ‘didn’t realise’ just how good 16-year-old wonderkid Reggie Walsh was until his performance against Djurgården.
Walsh played the full 90 minutes in Chelsea’s 1-0 win over the Swedish club on Thursday to secure their spot in the UEFA Conference League final.
The Blues next face Real Betis on May 28 as they look to get their hands on the trophy of the third-most prestigious European club competition.
Walsh was singled out for praise after Chelsea cruised past Djurgården 5-1 on aggregate, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall netting the only second leg goal.
England U17 international midfielder Walsh made his senior debut for Chelsea in the first leg, becoming the club’s third youngest ever player.
Get personalised updates on Chelsea every day
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
In the second leg, Walsh became Chelsea’s youngest ever starter in a European competition at 16 years and 200 days.
Speaking after the match, James told TNT Sports: ‘I’ve seen him in training but training and games is different but this is the first time I have seen him play. I didn’t realise how good he actually was.’
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca added: ‘How good is he? You can see that he is a good player.
‘He is that kind of player that we like, very good. For sure he is young and he has many things to do and to grow.
‘Very happy for him, very happy for his family and he has to enjoy this moment.’
Chelsea goalscorer Dewsbury-Hall also had kind words to say about Walsh after the match.
‘I’m just here to try and guide the young players,’ Dewsbury-Hall said. ‘Reggie is 16 and he was fantastic, composed.
‘My job is just to tell them to play the game that got them there. You saw that with the players that played, very composed, very calm. That’s a credit to the academy.’
‘Hopefully we can win this trophy!’
Chelsea were strong favourites to clinch the Conference League trophy before a ball was kicked this season and Maresca can’t wait for the final.
‘Very happy, the job is done tonight and now we have almost 20 days to prepare for this final and hopefully we can win this trophy,’ he added.
Maresca previously admitted that he was keen to face Real Betis in the Conference League final and the Italian’s wish has now been granted.
The Spanish side drew 2-2 against Fiorentina on Thursday night to progress 4-3 on aggregate.