Antonio Conte has said that he has full confidence in Michy Batshuayi, but has also stressed that the striker still has a lot to learn.
Having been signed from Marseille for a hefty £33m in the summer, the Belgian striker has only played a total of 65 minutes in the Premier League this season, coming off the bench 6 times.
However, he has started in both of Chelsea’s EFL games so far this season, and will likely start again against West Ham on Wednesday. Chelsea fought off interest from West Ham and Crystal Palace – both of whom had club record bids rejected – to sign the player. Juventus were also reportedly interested in the player, but Chelsea finally managed to snare their man.
Nevertheless, Batshuayi has still found it hard to get regular game time at the club, and according to West London Sport, Chelsea manager Conte has made it clear that he needs to be patient, while also praising the striker’s abilities:
“He’s a young player but for me he can make great improvements,” said the Italian.
“He has great quality in the technical and physical aspects, [but] he can grow a lot. He’s working very well.”
The 23-year-old, who scored 23 goals in 50 appearances for French side Marseille last season, has found it hard to break into the Chelsea team thanks to the fine run of form that Diego Costa is currently enjoying.
Conte himself pointed out that Batshuayi could learn a lot from the Spanish international, and that it was a privilege for Batshuayi to be able to train every day with a player of his calibre.
Batshuayi’s best bet is to continue to impress in the EFL, where he scored a brace on his first start for the club in a 3-2 victory against Bristol Rovers at Stamford Bridge, and hope that convinces Conte to start him more regularly for the Blues.
While it may seem impossible to replace Costa at this point in the team, if he continues to perform whenever given the chance, it won’t take too long for him to break into the team.
