Pochettino praises Chelsea youngster Gilchrist

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino praised the performance of young defender Alfie Gilchrist after his late inclusion in the side that were held to a 0-0 draw by Aston Villa.

Gilchrist only found out he was playing 20 minutes before the FA Cup tie, when Levi Colwill injured himself in the warm-up at Stamford Bridge.

And he did well for more than an hour before being replaced by Ben Chilwell.

“He was really good, the most difficult thing is to manage the stress because he knew he wasn’t going to play and then he was,” Pochettino said.

“Sometimes with a young player you give the starting 11 the day before and they often can’t sleep or the stress can affect them. But he had 20 minutes to prepare for the game and not time to think too much.

“For all our younger players, they can’t relax but also they can’t spend too much energy on the game and I thought he was really good. It was a good game for him.

“I think it is important for his career to compete with different players. It is going to be tough for him but he is showing and we are giving him the opportunity and it is important for the academy players to get a chance to play.”

Pochettino does not believe the injury to Colwill is serious and hopes he can be fit for the trip to Liverpool on Wednesday.

“I don’t believe it is so bad. Some small issue. He was ready to play but felt something. I hope he can train tomorrow,” Pochettino said.