Ashley Cole has praised ‘great lad’ Liam Delap but believes he may not hit the ground running at Chelsea.
Delap burst onto the scene last season by scoring 12 goals in his first full Premier League campaign but was unable to prevent Ipswich Town’s relegation.
His form made him a highly-sought after striker, with Chelsea beating the likes of Manchester United to sign him a £30million transfer.
He’s enjoyed a fine start to life with the Blues at the Club World Cup, assisting Enzo Fernandez on his debut before scoring his first goal for the team against ES Tunis in their final group game.
Enzo Maresca’s side will now take on Benfica in the round-of-16 on Saturday night in Charlotte.
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Delap was due to lead the line for England at the U21 Euros this summer but pulled out to play at the Club World Cup, but the Young Lions have still reached the final where they’ll take on Germany on Saturday.
Through England, the 22-year-old has worked closely with Chelsea legend Cole who is assistant manager to Lee Carsley but while the former full-back highly-rates Delap he has warned fans to be patient with him.
‘[I’ve been] working with Liam Delap on-and-off for about two years. At the start of the campaign, we had him in the squad and he was influential in qualifying,’ Cole told talkSPORT.
‘He is a great lad, he’s enthusiastic, he wants to learn. He wants to get to the next level and he’s got all the tools to do it.
‘I think in this day and age, we’re a little bit harsh on the younger players. They need time to grow and they don’t need to be judged. I think it will take time for him to develop.
‘It will take time for him to adapt to the way Chelsea want to play. Of course everyone wants these young players that go into new environments, new clubs to hit the ground running. But I think we have to be realistic.
‘Yes, the price tags also affect people’s perception, but again, we have to understand they’re still young.
‘Hopefully he hits the ground running like many players that move on to the big clubs, but I think we have to sometimes hold back a little bit and understand they are still kids.’
With Nicolas Jackson proving to be hit-and-miss and with Christopher Nkunku very likely to leave Stamford Bridge, many fans are hoping Delap can break Chelsea’s supposed ‘striker curse’.
The young forward has even taken on Chelsea’s infamous No.9 shirt worn by such flops as Pierre-Emererick Aubameyang, Romelu Lukaku, Gonzalo Higuain, Alvaro Morata and Radamel Falcao.
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