Chelsea team news ‘leaked’ as starlet Lewis Hall gets Man City start

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Graham Potter has reportedly handed a start to academy starlet Lewis Hall as the Chelsea head coach rings the changes for their Carabao Cup third round tie against Manchester City. The 18-year-old made his debut for the Blues last season and has impressed enough for their youth side that he has earned a surprise call-up to the senior squad for Wednesday’s match at the Etihad Stadium.

Hall made his debut for Chelsea in the FA Cup third round win over Chesterfield and the left-back, who can also play in midfield, earned a man of the match award for his impressive display after providing an assist in the 5-1 win.

The youngster is highly rated by Chelsea youth coaches and, in particular, head of youth development Neil Bath. And after watching the academy starlet in action, Potter invited Hall to train with the senior squad, with thr 47-year-old speaking highly of his performances in training sessions.

According to CFCPys on Twitter, Blues boss has opted to give Hall a chance to prove himself against Carabao Cup holders City following an injury to Ben Chilwell, who suffered an injury in the 2-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb.

Hall was on the bench for Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday but was left as an unused substitute. However, it appears the promising teenager will get the opportunity to show his ability in the EFL Cup as Potter rotates his squad.

A box-to-box player with incredible energy, Hall’s ability to play across a variety of positions – including wing-back, central midfield and as a winger – could make him a valuable asset for Potter in the coming months. 

He could be joined in the much-changed XI by Omari Hutchinson, the 19-year-old forward who scored a stunning goal against Leyton Orient in the EFL Trophy last month. The 19-year-old, a summer signing from Arsenal, has taken the Premier League 2 by storm after scoring six goals and registering four assists.

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Like Hall, he made Potter’s squad for a Premier League match against Brighton but did not come off the bench after a heavy 4-1 defeat at the Amex Stadium.

With injuries to key players such as Reece James, N’Golo Kante and Wesley Fofana, Potter may have to use the talent at his disposal in the academy to hand his exhausted stars a rest after playing nine games in October alone.

And Potter confirmed the young pair would play some part in the clash at the Etihad, their penultimate match before the month-long World Cup break, after earning their place in the squad.

“He’s in the squad [Hutchinson], Lewis Hall’s in the squad, they’ve impressed,” Potter told a news conference on Tuesday. “They’ve been training with us for a while now and they’ve got some good qualities as young players that we just need to nurture and take the right steps with. But they’ll be in the squad and involved.”

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