Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has hailed Saul Niguez after his performance in the cup win over Southampton on Tuesday night.
Chelsea defeated Premier League rivals Southampton 4-3 on penalties last night to progress to the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Tuchel picked out Chelsea midfielder Saul for special praise after his midweek display. ‘
The 26-year-old was promoted to the starting line-up for a rare appearance this season and put in arguably his most encouraging performance to date since his loan move in the summer to the Bridge.
His stamina to improve as the game went on surprised Chelsea’s boss:
“Was a good match, a huge step in the right direction for him,” Tuchel said.
“I am happy. We thought maybe he would be struggling with the intensity at the 70th minute but he got better and better, had chances and shots.
“We thought let’s keep him and give him the minutes. It was a good step for him.”
Tuchel claimed in September Saul “trains with intensity”, so he needs to continue trying to catch the manager’s eye.
