Kurt Zouma marked his Chelsea debut with a goal tonight and earned praise for his patience from Chelsea assistant first-team coach Steve Holland.
The 19-year-old made his first competitive appearance for the Blues and opened the scoring in a 2-1 victory over over Bolton Wanderers at the Bridge.
Jose Mourinho paid £12.5million to sign him from Saint Etienne in January but the powerful defender spent the remainder of last season on loan at the French club.
He got plenty of minutes under his belt with the Blues in pre-season but has found himself behind John Terry and Gary Cahill in the fight for a starting spot.
Capital One Cup games like the win over Bolton, which set up a date with League Two Shrewsbury, offer him the chance to stake a claim to Mourinho.
He grabbed the opportunity with both hands against the Trotters and certainly made an impression on the Special One’s right-hand man.
"He has waited patiently for his chance,” said Holland. “But he is someone who is definitely in Jose plans. He is not an inexperienced lad - has played at the top level in France for Saint-Etienne - he will get better too.
"He can play at centre-back or full-back and with respect to Bolton, while they did not trouble us too much from open play, he showed he can play and the bonus for him was the goal - it's a debut he will certainly never forget."
“Players getting important minutes, no extra-time and no new injuries is a good situation. Motivation can sometimes be a problem (in these games) but the players' mentality was excellent right from the kick off."
Petr Cech, who has found himself playing understudy to young goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, was also handed a start by Mourinho.
Bolton boss Dougie Freedman said: “When I saw the team sheet I knew the manager treated the competition and us with respect.
“For Jose Mourinho to bring on more experienced players late on is credit to our players.”
