Speaking at a press conference on Friday afternoon ahead of the visit to Everton, Chelsea boss Antonio Conte says he is delighted with the progress being made by Nigeria target Ola Aina.

Aina joined The Blues at Under 11 level and rose through the youth ranks before he was handed his first team debut by the Italian manager in an EFL Cup clash against Bristol Rovers last August.

Conte was at Stamford Bridge two days ago to watch the FA Youth Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City, and one of the top U18 stars on parade was Nigerian striker Ike Ugbo.

“It is very important for Chelsea the work in the academy,” said Conte.

“It is working very well, I think in this team I saw four or five players with a good prospect for the future.

“It is not easy for them to become a Chelsea player for the first team. It is not simple just at Chelsea, but lots of teams.

“We must be proud of the academy, Ruben, Chalo, Ake, and Aina.”

Aina has been included in Chelsea's match day squad for competitive fixtures 14 times this season, and tasted action in five of those games.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit : chelseafc.com