Mauricio Pochettino hopes Marc Cucurella’s performance against Brighton will act as a springboard for his Chelsea career.
Left-back Cucurella has failed to impress since joining from the Seagulls for £62million last August but was a star performer in last week’s 1-0 win against his former club in the EFL Cup.
Pochettino, whose side sit 15th in the Premier League table after an underwhelming start, is positive about Cucurella’s future at Stamford Bridge having been impressed with the Spaniard’s attitude.
He said: “I think he is doing well. I am so happy about his performance [against Brighton] and commitment. That’s what we expect from our players.
“Now, it is about working, waiting for the opportunity and working really hard. It is a really clear situation; he is in our plan.
“We were really clear about how I see and assess him, and I listened to his feelings. We need to have confidence and trust in him. It was a difficult time for him after he arrived. It was tough, not only for him but many, many players.”
Cucurella is likely to retain his place for tonight’s short trip to west London rivals Fulham with captain Ben Chilwell injured and could form a left-sided partnership with another player who has struggled since joining Chelsea, Mykhailo Mudryk.
Pochettino says the Ukraine winger has found it hard to adapt to life in England but is now starting to find his feet.
“He is quite unique,” Pochettino added. “I think it is a good challenge for him and for [the coaching staff].
“Misha is a very talented player, but you need to go with him very slowly.
“He is now trying to be more open and trying to adapt and be more involved in every single situation, not only on the field, off the field also, and he is making a massive effort to try and integrate himself and understand better what it means to play like a team.”
