Former Chelsea goalkeeper Rob Green has questioned Maurizio Sarri’s handling of Callum Hudson-Odoi last campaign by saying the teenager star was consistently one of the club’s best players in training.
Hudson-Odoi made his first-team breakthrough with Chelsea under Sarri, playing 24 times in total during the 2018-19 season, however, he started only four Premier League matches.
The 18-year-old made his dissatisfaction at a lack of minutes apparent and handed a transfer request in January amid interest in his services from German side Bayern Munich.
According to Green, Chelsea’s players couldn’t understand why the teenager wasn’t starting more frequently and were so impressed with him that they often applauded him in training.
‘We were in the dressing room last season and the players were saying “how is he not playing?”,’ Green told BBC Radio 5 Live.
‘He was going out in training and tearing some of the best defenders in the world apart. He was consistently the best in training.
‘It was to the point where some of the best players in the world were standing there applauding what he was doing.’
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The England international has only just recovered from the Achilles injury he suffered in April and was handed a first Premier League start by Lampard against Southampton in Sunday’s 4-1 win.
Hudson-Odoi, who recently signed a five-year deal at Chelsea, delivered a good performance at St Mary’s and assisted Tammy Abraham for the match’s first goal.
Green believes the sky is the limit for Callum Hudson-Odoi, saying: ‘He has got such a brilliant mind and he is so confident. When he goes out there he will try things and he will try it on the biggest stage.
‘He will do something and you will ask him: ‘When have you done that? Why did you do that?’ ‘He would say “because I’ve never done it before and I thought I’d try it”.
‘You knew from the way he spoke and the way he is around the lads, the way he holds himself and obviously his ability, he is going to be at Chelsea for as long as he wants to be and then, maybe, on to greater things.’
