Nigerian star Ola Aina to join Domnic Sholanke in the New Season with Chelsea !

Ola Aina and Jake Clarke-Salter will benefit from time on Chelsea’s pre-season 

This year is no different for Jose Mourinho has left an army of experienced players at home and taken youth players on tour instead. Two young prospects that stand out and may not be known to every Chelsea fan are defenders Jake Clarke-Salter and Ola Aina.

Ola Aina is another talented young player (Picture: Getty Images)

17-year-old Clarke-Salter and 18-year-old Aina have come through the club’s academy since they were kids and formed a key part in the club’s 2014/15 FA Youth Cup success, they will be looking to impress and build on an impressive campaign in the youth set up last season. They join fellow member of that squad Dominic Solanke who made his full debut at the end of last season. Aina played 24 minutes during the club’s first pre-season game against New York Red Bulls, however both were unused substitutes against PSG.

Pre-season is a time when managers take a look at their squad and finalise their plans for the season ahead away from the pressures of the Premier League.

During this time, managers often take time to look at some of the youth team players that are coming through the academy and see how they are matching up against the first team by taking them on tour.

Touring squads for pre-season friendlies that cover the globe may include a number of youth team players, brought along for analysis and to lighten the playing time load as the medical teams micro manage the minutes that the first team regulars spend on the pitch. These can often be players that have only played youth team football, surfacing on the radar of all but the most avid of fans for the first time.

Jake Clarke-Salter is on Chelsea’s tour of the USA (Picture: Getty Images)

It is an exciting time for the youngsters. They should make sure they take in and savor every moment, this is a once in a life time opportunity and for those that do not quite make it can be the highlight of their time at a Premier League club.

Source: Metro UK