Former Manchester United Manager Praises This Chelsea Summer Signing - 'One of The Best Players in The League'

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes new Chelsea signing Jorrel Hato has all the makings of a ‘great player’, saying he could very easily be a success at Stamford Bridge because he is already so good despite his young age. 

The 19-year-old defender, who can play either as a centre-back or a left-back, was signed from Eredivisie side Ajax Amsterdam, where Ten Hag was once the manager. And while he was signed primarily as a back-up to incumbent left-back Marc Cucurella, there are many who believe the London side landed a gem in Hato. 

One of those is Ten Hag, who saw the youngster progress through the youth sides of Ajax before becoming the youngest player in history to captain the side. 

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Ten Hag's Praise for Hato

And the Dutchman was on hand to witness Hato's debut for Chelsea, as the Blues played a pre-season friendly against Bayer Leverkusen, where the former Manchester United man is now in charge. And after the match, he was all praise for the left-back. 

"I congratulate Chelsea by signing this great player. For sure he was one of the best, or maybe the best player, in the Eredivisie. He's so young but already on a very high level. I'm very sure he will succeed at Chelsea," Ten Hag said after the match.

Ten Hag further said that he is so adept that he could feature at both left-back or centre-back for Chelsea, and could become a first-choice in either of those positions. 

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How Chelsea Fared vs Leverkusen

The pre-season game between the Blues and Bayer Leverkusen was the former side's first of the summer, as their players were given an extended break after their FIFA Club World Cup campaign. 

The game went well for Enzo Maresca's men, however, as they registered a comfortable 2-0 win in front of a raucous Stamford Bridge crowd. 

New signing Estevao Willian opened the scoring in the second half, before the victory was sealed by a late goal from Joao Pedro.