Now World ViewChelsea star ruled out of Leicester and nobody noticed as another returns in triple team news hint
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It was a mixed few days for Chelsea's academy players in the Conference League. Whilst Tyrique George played 90 minutes yet again and registered his fourth assist of the season and a second in the week, Shumaira Mheuka's debut was cut well short.
The 17-year-old was chosen to lead the line for Enzo Maresca in the absence of alternatives and it marked a great day for him personally.However, after 45 minutes the experiment was over with Chelsea struggling to create.
Mheuka hardly touched the ball as safety first play was preferred. Chelsea did improve after the break to secure a 2-1 first-leg lead but instead turned to George upfront.
He made another positive impact and is a go-to midweek option now for Maresca. The 19-year-old will be expected to have a role in Sunday’s Premier League clash against Leicester City.
Mheuka, meanwhile, is now unlikely to feature. Just over 24 hours after playing in Denmark, he started, scored, and completed 86 minutes at Kingsmeadow in a 2-1 Premier League Cup last-16 win over Ipswich Town. Although two games in two days is not uncommon for Cobham prospects, Mheuka would have to be involved in three four days which is a step further.
He converted a second-half penalty on the way to a comeback victory on Friday night with Ishe Samuels-Smith and Sam Rak-Sakyi, who have both been with the senior team this season, playing the full game. This suggests they will also not be in the matchday squad for Leicester on Sunday.
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Samuels-Smith played a major role in the late winning goal, steaming down the left flank before cutting the ball back to 16-year-old Ryan Kavuma-McQueen. He came on as a substitute to make yet another big impact despite being up the age groups.
Despite only celebrating his birthday in January, Kavuma-McQueen has scored six times for the Under-18s this season, assisting two more. He is also up to a goal and two assists for the Under-21s.
Earlier this month he was with the England Under-16 side in Spain but returned to play and made it two-in-two days like Mheuka when getting a run out for the Under-18s on Saturday. Kavuma-McQueen once more came off from the bench to score and assist in a 4-2 win over West Bromwich Albion. He was in west London just 12 hours earlier.
There was more good news for the young Blues. Omari Kellyman played his third match of the season after a six-month layoff with injury. He managed 20 minutes at Kingsmeadow for the Under-21 side and is now targeting a breakthrough into the first team in the coming months.
Writing online, the former Aston Villa attacker – who was used as the financial bargaining chip in the deal which saw Ian Maatsen go the other way – wrote: "192 days later…So good to finally be back after a long and frustrating spell on the sidelines. Now we build [blue heart and bicep emojis]".
Whereas Kellyman is back, Aaron Anselmino is out.He has been straddling the academy and first-team picture since being recalled in January but is now injured. Maresca confirmed the news on Thursday night as he spoke ahead of the Leicester match but it has not been widely picked up on.
He is yet to make his senior debut and will instead offer a chance for Josh Acheampong to stay in touch. On the whole it has been a good few days for the Chelsea youth setup.
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