Ampadu looking to work his way into Maurizio Sarri’s plans for the season at Chelsea

Ethan Ampadu made his competitive debut for Wales on Thursday night, putting in a midfield masterclass against Republic of Ireland, and notching an assist, even, for one of Wales’ four goals. For most 17-year-old players, this would be enough. After all, earning a competitive debut at such a young age and then performing well in that debut is no small feat already. However, that’s not enough for our Ampadu.

He has his eyes set on impressing Maurizio Sarri, just like he did with Antonio Conte, and earning first-team minutes at Chelsea. Last season, he made seven appearances as one of the youngest players ever for the Blues before suffering an ankle injury in March that kept him out for the rest of the season.

So far, he’s only appeared in preseason friendlies under Sarri, but the youngster is nowhere near giving up just yet.

“You could say there’s been frustration on one hand, but at the same time I’m getting experience training with the players. I’m just trying to improve to get into the team. This season’s plans are this season’s plans and at the moment I’ve just to keep improving to try and get in the team.

”I want to show the manager what I can do.”

-Ethan Ampadu; Source: Sky Sports

The drive, maturity, and versatility he’s showing can only be helpful in that regard. There’s strong competition for minutes in both central defence and central midfield at Chelsea, but if Ampadu continues to improve at the rate that he has been improving, the sky’s the limit.

Here’s hoping Ampadu is able to impress Maurizio Sarri just like he had managed to impress Antonio Conte, Wales manager Ryan Giggs, and all those watching him on Thursday night.

Good luck, Ethan!