Enzo Maresca issues warning over Estevao ‘mistake’ ahead of Chelsea debut

Enzo Maresca has warned Chelsea about the danger of putting Estevao ‘under pressure’ in his first season at Stamford Bridge.

Last year, Chelsea reached an agreement to sign the 18-year-old from Brazilian side Palmeiras, paying €34 million (£28.7m) up front plus a further €23m (£19.4m) in add-ons.

Estevao remained at Palmeiras until after their Club World Cup campaign and he has now joined Chelsea ahead of the new Premier League season.

The winger is regarded as one of the brightest young prospects in Brazil and is already being compared to Neymar.

But Maresca insists Estevao needs time to adjust following his move to the Premier League.

‘For me, the biggest mistake we can do with him is to put him under pressure. He’s very young, he needs to adapt,’ Maresca said.

‘I met him for the first time in the USA when we played against Palmeiras. He’s a fantastic player, he’s very young, he’s a happy boy. He’s always laughing, typical from a Brazilian guy and we need to keep him happy.

‘We need to pay a little bit more attention, first of all because first of all he’s from the other part of the world and also he’s very, very young. So we need to pay attention.

‘As I said, [he is] not under pressure, give him happiness, give him time, he needs to adapt. Hopefully we can give him minutes, so he’s even more happy. But for sure, he’s a talented player.’

Maresca also believes Estevao is capable of playing in multiple positions in Chelsea’s attack.

When asked about where Estevao can fit in Chelsea’s team, Maresca said: ‘He can play everywhere.

‘He’s so good. For me, he’s like Cole [Palmer], in terms of, careful, he is like Cole in terms of position.

‘He can play outside, he can play inside, he can play everywhere. In our five attacking positions, for me, he can play everywhere.’

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