“Brave” – Enzo Maresca singles out surprise star he thought was “very good” vs Man United | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca labelled Tyrique George as “brave” as he praised his performance against Manchester United on Friday night.

The Blues secured a vital 1-0 win to keep their Champions League hopes alive with Marc Cucurella scoring the only goal in the second half.

It now means Chelsea have to beat Nottingham Forest on the final day in order to return to Europe’s Premier club competition.

Maresca impressed by George

With Nicolas Jackson suspended and Marc Guiu still not fit the Blues weren’t able to field a recognised striker, which meant Marseca deployed George down the middle.

The youngster has had a breakthrough season, scoring his first Premier League goal and graduating to the first team squad.

George found it difficult against United with Chelsea often playing it long, and the teenager struggled to hold the ball up and win aerial duels against Harry Maguire.

George struggled to make an impact against Man United. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

The biggest moment for the 19-year-old was when he thought he’d won a second half penalty before it was overturned by the referee.

It’s not a surprise George struggled, but Maresca was actually impressed with his performance and labelled the attacker “brave.”

“Very good. Very good. Brave,” he told his post-match press conference.

“He was a threat in behind. Not easy for him because on the other side you have Maguire, you have Lindelof, you have Shaw.

“He was fighting against important defenders. But again, we tried to find a solution with a player from the academy. Overall I think also he had the penalty moment, so he works quite good.”

Chelsea have Delap and Sesko on their radar

The Blues have paid the price this season for not signing an alternative to Jackson both last summer and in the January window.

Chelsea have been strongly linked with Liam Delap who’s available for £30m, although it’s thought they are currently behind United in the race.

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Benjamin Sesko is another name of interest and the 21-year-old is said to have a release clause of €80m in his RB Leipzig contract.

Fans would love a Victor Osimhen or a Viktor Gyokeres to join, but at this stage that seems unlikely, although never say never with Chelsea and the transfer market.