€63m star’s secret weapon has made him a Maresca favourite already | OneFootball

It’s time to praise Pedro Neto. The summer signing from Wolves has needed some time to get up to speed, but since the last international break he has seen off Jadon Sancho to make the left wing spot his own, and now we see no way back.

The beauty of Neto is that he can play both sides. His superb cross for Malo Gusto – which should have led to the opening goal for the Blues – came from the left. While the driven shot which ended up being the equaliser came as he cut inside from the right.

This is a true tactical secret weapon which Maresca is going to be using to full effect both between games and in games, just as we saw yesterday.

Sancho faces a tough battle to get back into the team – and even if he does, we reckon it would see Neto switched to the right, with Noni Madueke the one to miss out.

Pedro Neto celebrates a goal for Chelsea. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Neto full power for 90 minutes, 3 games running

Also notable is the 24 year old’s impressive stamina and physical capabilities. We all knew he was quick, but he’s also showing great resilience now he’s up to full speed. Unlike some of his teammates who fade later in the game, he was producing threat until the very end. He’s played 90 minutes of the last 3 Premier League games, which is not something you can say of many other players beyond the goalkeeper.

There were questions about his injury record when we signed him this summer for €63m, and while we don’t want to jinx him, it does seem like he’s now at full power and has hopefully put that stage of his career behind him.

He’s got Maresca’s trust and is well on his way to becoming a key player now.