Hudson-Odoi wanted to emulate Drogba & Hazard as he lives the dream of a Chelsea fan

BetOdds Chelsea Premier League Callum Hudson-Odoi Eden Hazard Chelsea v Manchester United

The talented teenager is representing the club that he supported growing up and following in the footsteps of some iconic figures at Stamford Bridge

Callum Hudson-Odoi is setting lofty targets at Chelsea, with the teenage winger looking to “emulate” the achievements of Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard.

The 19-year-old has been on the books at Stamford Bridge since 2007, and, having linked up with the Blues at a young age, he is now living the dream as a supporter given the chance to represent their boyhood club.

Hudson-Odoi is determined to make the most of his opportunity and follow in some illustrious footsteps.

He told the Blues’ official matchday programme for a crunch Premier League clash with Manchester United: “I've been a Chelsea fan since I joined and, trust me, when you play for the club you support, it's a massive feeling.

“You just can't believe it. All those years I was sitting in the stands and looking at players like Didier Drogba, Eden Hazard and Willian, because they are in the sort of positions that I play and I wanted to try and emulate them.

“So, when I got my chance and I was on the pitch with Hazard for the first time, it was such a great feeling.”

Hazard was still part of the Chelsea squad when Hudson-Odoi made his senior breakthrough, with his first team bow for the Blues coming against Newcastle in January 2018, in an FA Cup clash.

He had to be patient from that point in pursuit of regular game time, with Maurizio Sarri initially overlooking him when taking the managerial reins in west London.

That fuelled talk that a move could be made elsewhere, but Hudson-Odoi earned favour from an Italian coach and played his way to a new contract.

Injury issues have prevented him from making the expected impact this term, but over 50 competitive appearances have now been made by a highly-rated forward who also has three senior England caps to his name.

Big things are expected of his future, but he has some way to go in order to match the likes of Drogba and Hazard.

The former registered 164 goals for the club across two spells, winning four Premier League titles and the Champions League, while the latter took in 352 appearances the club and contributed 110 goals and countless assists to a cause which delivered two titles, a couple of Europa League triumphs and the PFA Player of the Year award.

2020-02-17 18:00:01

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