Former England manager Glenn Hoddle has hailed Anglo-Nigerian forward Noni Madueke for his performance for Chelsea in their 2-2 draw with Aston Villa at the weekend.
The 22-year-old was in sparkling form at Villa Park, scoring the first goal as Chelsea staged a comeback to salvage a draw in the encounter.
He would also go on to assist Conor Gallagher for the second goal to make it the first time he has scored and assisted in a game since joining Chelsea.
The England youth international had 79 touches of the ball, completed 88% of his passes, made two passes and completed six of the eight passes he attempted against Aston Villa.
Speaking to reporters, Hoddle was impressed with the 22-year-old performance against the UEFA Europa Conference League semifinalist.
“I thought he was brilliant. I thought he held the width a little bit more than he did in the first half. What a finish that is!
“That’s what Palmer has been doing all season, just stroking the ball into the corners of the net, and the young man, he is 21 years of age, that’s a beautiful finish.
“But now, if I am the manager, I am saying to him, ‘You have shown what you can do, you can do that time and time again’. In the second half he had the full-back on toast.”
Madueke has been in rich vein of form recently, registering three goal involvements in the last four Premier League games and it is no surprise that he has been handed a start by Mauricio Pochettino in the last four games.
He has made 29 appearances across all competitions and has scored seven goals and assisted twice, a decent tally for a player who has started just 14 games all season.
