Marc Cucurella has described team-mate Noni Madueke as a “really good player” and believes he can help Chelsea moving forward.
Madueke, who was heavily criticised after being seen laughing with Manchester City’s Jack Grealish at the full time whistle of the FA Cup semi final defeat at Wembley, has started Chelsea’s last five games.
The 22-year-old completed his first 90 minutes of the season in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Aston Villa, putting in an impressive performance as he helped the Blues rescue a point from two goals down.
Madueke has shown he’s a talented player in limited spells, but lacks that consistency like a lot of Chelsea’s young squad.
However, Cucurella was full of praise for the winger, describing him as a really good player, and said he’s doing a good job for the team.
“He is a really good player, the Spaniard told The Athletic.
“He is a player I like a lot. He is good one-on-one and can score a lot of goals. This is the way he needs to stay.
“He is doing a good job and can help the team in this way. We all need to improve a lot because we play for Chelsea and we need to win every game. But we are very happy with Noni.”
Following his move from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in January 2023, Madueke has had limited opportunities to impress at Stamford Bridge.
He’s made just 30 Premier League appearances since joining nearly 18 months ago, but has shown signs of improvement this campaign with seven goals in all competitions, four of which have come in the league.
Madueke absolutely has the ability to succeed at Chelsea, but has seen his attitude called into question at several points during this campaign, something that he will need to work on, as well as the defensive side of his game.
why even ask a fringe player to comment on his team mate? cucurella plays like shit comapare when he is in brighton. I dont think he has any rights to open his mouth.