“Remember Jadon Sancho” — John Barnes Warns Maresca Not to Overhype Chelsea Teen, Estevao Willian

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has been urged to keep his young star, Estevao Willian, grounded amid growing excitement around the Brazilian’s early performances in the Premier League.

Former Liverpool winger John Barnes issued the caution, reminding fans and pundits that Estevao, just 18 years old, has “done nothing yet” to justify the hype surrounding him.

The teenage forward joined Chelsea from Brazilian side Palmeiras for a reported £29 million and has already made headlines after coming off the bench to score a dramatic winner against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

Since his arrival, Maresca has used Estevao sparingly — starting him in only seven out of Chelsea’s eleven Premier League matches so far — a move Barnes believes is the right approach.

“Estevao is a young player who has come into the team and is doing well at the moment,” Barnes told Video Gamer.
“However, I remember Jadon Sancho doing the same thing… We can’t start putting pressure on him yet.”

The ex-England international warned that the media and fans have a tendency to build young players up too quickly, only to turn against them when form dips.

“In reality, he’s had 10 good games… he’s done nothing! He’s got lots of potential, but we’ve seen that at Chelsea before and there’s lots of examples where it hasn’t worked out,” he said.

Barnes added that Estevao still has a lot to prove before being considered a first-team regular:

“He’s not going to be a starter every week because they have so many players, and if he has a few below-par performances, people could start writing him off after another 10 games.”

Despite his caution, Barnes acknowledged the teenager’s talent and promise, but urged fans to be patient:

“He has good potential, lots of ability and he can be a very good player, but at this moment in time, he has done nothing and achieved nothing.”

With Maresca continuing to manage Estevao’s development carefully, Chelsea supporters will be hoping the young Brazilian can grow steadily — and avoid the pitfalls that have derailed other highly-rated youngsters before him.