Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole have heaped praise on Chelsea star Callum Hudson-Odoi after Chelsea’s 1-0 Champions League victory over Malmo on Tuesday.
Hudson-Odoi struggled to force his way into Thomas Tuchel’s starting lineup in the early part of this campaign, but has since started the club’s last four games after injuries to Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku.
After being impressive during his previous three starts, the England star once again excelled on the right wing against the Swedish champions.
And it was his driven cross after a neat one-two with Kai Havertz that set up Hakim Ziyech to score the winning goal of the game.
After the game, both Ferdinand and Cole hailed Hudson-Odoi’s impact and urged him to continue his superb form in the coming weeks.
‘This is what we have been waiting for [from Callum Hudson-Odoi],’ Ferdinand told BT Sport. ‘We have heard about Callum since he came through the ranks at Chelsea but he hasn’t quite lit it up for Chelsea.
‘But if he keeps doing this he will live up to the hype. However, he has come back from a big Achilles injury so we have to remember that.’
Meanwhile, Cole added: ‘He [Hudson-Odoi] has added more to his game under Tuchel. He is a valuable player for Chelsea.’
Hudson-Odoi was linked with a move away from the club in the summer amid interest from Borussia Dortmund, but the Blues refused to let the player leave the club.
Speaking before the game against Malmo, Tuchel revealed the reasons behind the club’s decision.
‘We’re glad that he stayed. We didn’t let him leave. We built the squad and Callum was a piece of the puzzle. He thought it might be tough to get minutes and that it might be easier at another club. But you can never be sure that it’s like this,’ he said.
‘I told him straight when he asked that it was not possible. We rely on him and we rely on him to accept his role. There is still huge progress he can make within this group and club.’
