Chelsea reject backed to prove he is ‘a £50m player’
Troy Deeney has backed Watford teammate Nathaniel Chalobah to prove he is worth £50million.
Watford signed Chalobah from Chelsea for £5m last summer, but a serious knee injury restricted him to just six appearances all season.
The 23-year-old made a brief Premier League appearance as a late substitute in the victory over Tottenham, while he started in the League Cup victory over Reading.
Chalobah is highly rated by England manager Gareth Southgate and has been backed by many to develop into a fine player, but Deeney believes he can prove he is worth £50m.
“Chalobah is an unbelievable footballer,” he told Monday Night Football.
“He makes football look easy. He glides, it’s effortless.
“He hasn’t come to Watford just to settle, he wants to kick on again and show why he was at Chelsea in the first place.
“He’s still a kid in terms of growing into his body but his mentality is like a man. He came through a hard school at Chelsea, Drogba, Terry, Lampard didn’t let him cut corners.
“I think in 18 months, playing week in week out you’re talking about a £50million player. Easy.”