Pundit Gary Neville has claimed that he is actually a big fan of one Chelsea player who has found praise difficult to come by this season.
He said on his own podcast for Sky Sports that he believes one of their summer signings has actually shown enough to be appreciated at Stamford Bridge this season.
Chelsea fans saw both the good and the bad of their players at the weekend in a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa.
They may well have thought they should have come away with all three points, after seeing strikes from Axel Disasi and Nicolas Jackson ruled out by VAR.
Chelsea have goals ruled out by VAR
The latter had a mixed evening at Villa Park, missing a key chance in the first half but ultimately being a real force for his side in attack.
The 90 minutes actually captured his whole season quite nicely, with everything seeming to go right until the final moment for the 22-year-old.
For this reason, Jackson has come in for some criticism from pundits for his performances. However, Neville has now claimed that he is actually a big fan of the Senegal international.
Gary Neville praises Nicolas Jackson
He said: “I actually like Nicolas Jackson. It might be an unpopular opinion on here, but I like him. I think he has a lot to give. He is a young player, and I think that he has not cost stupid money, this is his first full season in the Premier League, he scored quite a few goals and he keeps going, and there is a lot to be said for that.
“And, he might not be striker number one, but if he was your striker number two or three in a squad of 18 to 20, you would say, ‘I will take that’.”
Jackson will almost certainly remain in the squad for Thursday’s big London derby against Tottenham, with the lack of senior options around him due to injuries.
However, he will certainly be looking to prove in the run in that he has enough for Chelsea to build their squad with him in mind.
It has been reported thata striker is high on the club’s agenda for the upcoming transfer window, and it remains to be seen whether they make the move to bring one in this summer.