ROBERT GREEN has revealed Chelsea stars openly questioned former boss Maurizio Sarri’s decision not to play young prodigy Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The former Blues and England keeper has also tipped the 19-year-old to move on to “greater things”.
Robert Green has admitted Chelsea players felt Maurizio Sarri should have played Callum Hudson-Odoi more often last term
Hudson-Odoi signed a £180,000-a-week deal at Chelsea in September to fend off interest from potential suitors.
But the youngster hardly featured under Italian Sarri last term, baffling Green, who retired last summer, and other senior figures at the club.
It prompted Bayern Munich to make several bids for the youngster – rejected by Blues – with the player wanting out due to a lack of first-team opportunities.
But new Stamford Bridge chief Frank Lampard convinced the winger to stay after telling him he would be a key part of his new-look Blues side.
Green, 40, recalled the situation last season when he told BBC Radio Five Live: “We were in the dressing room last season and the players were saying, ‘how is he not playing?’
“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.”
Green believes Hudson-Odoi will now thrive both for club and country.
He said: “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.”
Leicester scouting Ben Chilwell replacement as Chelsea and Man City set for £50m transfer battle
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
