Rio Ferdinad outlined how Callum Hudson-Odoi was once ahead of Jadon Sancho ’s level in their teenage years.
Chelsea ’s talented wide attacker has had a disrupted past 12 months at Stamford Bridge due to injury.
A serious Achilles problem saw Hudson-Odoi sidelined for months on end, and tonight’s game with Bayern Munich is the first match he has started post-lockdown.
Meanwhile, ex-Manchester City youth Sancho has truly reached his potential since moving to Germany.
At Borussia Dortmund, the England international has made himself a household name worth in excess of £100m in the market.
Ferdinand’s old club United are prioritising a summer swoop for Sancho, while Hudson-Odoi needs to show he can still develop into a top player.
Pundit Ferdinand was speaking ahead of tonight’s Champions League round of 16 second leg between Bayern Munich and Chelsea at the Allianz Arena.
And he said: “Callum Hudson-Odoi has been talked about at a young age, he had a bad achilles injury.
“But as a young kid, Callum Hudson-Odoi was talked about on the levels, if not better, than Jadon Sancho.
“He hasn’t kicked on like Jadon. There’s confidence and stuff, but these are great opportunities for young players to come in and really let people know ‘yes I am capable of playing at this level’.
“I think Callum has been promising for a while now and we need to see a performance at this level now to really justify the talk and the commotion we heard beforehand, because he has got talent, there’s no doubting that.”
Hudson-Odoi gave a glimpse of what Chelsea fans and manager Frank Lampard have missed this season during the first half tonight.
The 19-year-old curled home a stunning effort from 25 yards, only to see the goal disallowed for offside.
Next season, meanwhile, Sancho and Hudson-Odoi could come up against each other in the Premier League if Sancho signs for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United.
