Cuadrado needs time to adapt – Mourinho

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Jose Mourinho says Juan Cuadrado needs time to adapt to the Premier League following his recent move to Chelsea.

The 26-year-old, signed from Fiorentina, looked sharp against Burnley in his second start at Stamford Bridge, but boss Mourinho took him off for Willian after the hour mark.

“The pace of the game in Italy is completely different. Here the intensity is much higher. It’s difficult for him to play especially for 90 minutes,” Mourinho said.

“I truly believe that we are not going to see the great player we know we have immediately, because he needs time to adapt.”

The Colombian linked up well with Eden Hazard and Oscar in attack, drifting inside and seeing a glancing header tipped over early on.

It is a role which Cuadrado has not been used to with Fiorentina, where he scored four goals and assisted four more in 17 appearances on the wing this season.

Mourinho added: “Tactically, he was playing in a system where he was a wide player.

“Here we don’t play with that model. He has to go to areas where he has not yet adapted.”

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