Jose Mourinho praised Ruben Loftus-Cheek after handing the teenager his full Premier League debut in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool.
The 19-year-old midfielder had previously made one substitute appearance in the competition but was named in the Chelsea starting XI to face the Reds.
Loftus-Cheek played an hour of the match before Blues boss Mourinho took him out of the firing line when Brendan Rodgers’ side started to gain too much control.
But the Special One saw enough in those 60 minutes to reassure himself that the youngster can challenge for a first-team berth in the champions’ squad next season.
Mourinho said: “I think he did well, but I also think it is better for him to play 60 minutes and play in good condition than to stay on and probably find it difficult to cope with the speed of the game.
“It was better for him to have that fantastic experience and feel the intensity, the speed and the way he has to think, and I’m happy.
“He is going to be a Chelsea player, there’s no doubt. And we have other kids that can do it too.
“The intensity of the game was different to what he is used to. In the second half he was chasing more, so I’d prefer to give him a good hour rather than a difficult last 20-25 minutes.”
Chelsea made a blistering start as John Terry gave them an early lead at the Bridge.
Steven Gerrard grabbed an equaliser for Liverpool as the Reds began to take charge of the contest and Mourinho says nobody should be surprised by his team’s performance.
He added: “After winning the championship and celebrating it’s normal that your intensity is a bit down.
“We played to our limits for many weeks trying to reach the title as soon as possible and I knew today would be difficult for some players.
“People like Fabregas, Hazard, Willian, they are playing too much, so it’s also difficult for them to keep that intensity for 90 minutes, but we gave them a game and we did what we had to do.
“In the first half we were by far the better team. Liverpool were more aggressive with the ball in the second half and I think it was a fair result.”
Loftus-Cheek can expect to get more minutes under his belt in Chelsea’s penultimate game at West Brom, with Mourinho also pledging to give others an opportunity at the Hawthorns.
He said: “In the last game I will play the players with the most minutes in the Premier League, against West Brom, especially because they are safe and nobody is waiting for a result
“He [Ruben] will play and probably Nathan Ake, who deserves to play. Izzy Brown came from West Brom so it will be special for him to play at his house, they all deserve it.”
