Chelsea midfielder Dario Essugo admitted surprise at being handed the captain's armband in a pre-season friendly, but hopes it can inspire other young players at the club.
The 21-year-old skippered the Blues in their 3-3 draw with Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta'zim on Sunday. Manager Xabi Alonso changed the entire starting line-up after Saturday's 3-0 win over AC Milan, but the team still featured familiar names like Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson, Estevao, Jamie Gittens, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Geovany Quenda.
Essugo's reaction
Essugo, who had also worn the armband earlier in pre-season, felt his maturity earned him the honour. 'For me it was a surprise but of course it's a pleasure,' the Portuguese prospect said. 'I didn't expect to be captain at this age and at this big club so for me it's just a pleasure and I enjoyed it a lot.'
'For me it means everything because I didn't expect it. It's a message for me and for all the players that it's not about the age, but maybe it's about maturity. It's learning and staying positive.'
Development at Chelsea
On his progress, Essugo said: '[I've learned] a lot because here we have a lot of big players, so I try to learn from everyone. I think that's it, learning from my teammates and enjoy.'
Signed from Sporting last year for £18.5 million, Essugo made only three Premier League appearances and five in total last season. He will hope Alonso's faith in pre-season signals more game time when the new campaign starts later this month.
Upcoming fixtures
Chelsea have one more friendly, against Real Sociedad on Saturday, before opening their Premier League season at Fulham on August 24.
Alonso, speaking after the AC Milan win, emphasized tactical flexibility: 'We want to be versatile in our approach and system. I think we have the players to adapt to different ones because they understand how to support each other.'
'The principles are the same but the movements can change; we need to be unpredictable, we want to be flexible, and we want to have a threat. The system is just a picture; you need to move, rotate and create dynamics [in the team] and that is when the picture becomes a movie.'
