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It's pretty easy to forget that Chelsea's prospects aren't all Belgian. Indeed, we have some rather intriguing youngsters in the defence, and it sounds as though Jose Mourinho's particularly impressed with Kenneth Omeruo. Omeruo, 20, has already played a key part in Nigeria winning the Africa Cup of Nations, and although he's yet to make his Chelsea debut, 14 international caps show that there's more than a little bit about him.
Following his recovery from a shoulder this summer, Omeruo's apparently been training with the reserves, but BBC World Service correspondent Oluwashina Okeleji is reporting that those days are over.
Kenneth @omeruo22 received a massive boost to his #cfc future after Jose Mourinho ordered he stop training with the reserves. #mtnfootball
— Oluwashina Okeleji (@oluwashina) December 23, 2013
Granted, not training with the reserves isn't quite the same thing as training (and therefore playing) with the first team, but considering the 'massive boost' right before the news -- and the fact that he's had a couple spells training with the big boys before hand -- it's difficult to envision any other situation playing itself out. Omeruo is eligible to play in Premier League games without being registered thanks to his under-21 status, so a mid-season promotion is completely feasible.
The other option, of course, is to loan him out to get more first-team experience. With the January transfer window open in a week and Omeruo having shown his stuff with the Super Eagles, there'll be plenty of interest in picking him up.
