Graham Potter hopes Conor Gallagher can kickstart his Chelsea career after netting their winner against Crystal Palace, but admits his England World Cup chances are out of his control.
The 22-year-old came off the bench to score a stunning goal from the edge of the box in the 89th minute to clinch a 2-1 win for Chelsea over the Eagles.
It was a goal that inflicted double misery on the hosts at Selhurst Park after Gallagher spent the season on loan last term under Patrick Vieira.
He returned to Chelsea in the summer and was ready to fight for a regular role in the first-team, and he may have just got his break.
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Chelsea, now managed by Graham Potter, have 12 more games to play until the World Cup break in November, which will see the 47-year-old need all of his players.
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Gallagher wasn’t called up to the England squad for the recent games against Italy and Germany, and he will be hoping to try to stake a late claim for a spot on the plane to Qatar.
Although Potter, who lauded Gallagher’s attitude, is confident that he will succeed at Chelsea, he couldn't make any guarantees over his international selection.
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“We’ve got a really intense period - 12 games in six and a half weeks, something like that," Potter told Standard Sport.
"We need everybody; it’s impossible to play with 11 players.
"So Conor will get his time, will get his chances, his opportunities to perform. We have to try and help the team perform in a good way so all individuals can play well in it, and then who knows - that (Gallagher getting back into the England squad) is something out of my control.
"I hope it’s the start of a very successful Chelsea career. He is a young player, you can see the influence he had at Crystal Palace last year but it’s another step, a different step.
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"Like anything you have to adapt, maybe the team hasn’t functioned as well as is optimal for any player. all the players maybe haven’t performed as they would have liked to, but that’s the work and what we would like to do.
"I really like him. He’s a fantastic kid, first of all, gives everything every day. Desperate to do well, desperate to play for Chelsea, desperate to be successful here, so that’s a great starting point - and then it’s about finding the right balance for him in the team, the team to perform maximally helps all the players.
"But in terms of Conor as a person, he has been A1. There’s no shortage of effort, no shortage of desire. You’re not going to get anyone better than him in terms of wanting to do well, so again that’s a great starting point."
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Topics: Conor Gallagher, Chelsea, Premier League, Graham Potter, Football
Matthew Debono