Reggie Walsh makes his Chelsea debut. (Photo by David Lidstrom/Getty Images)

Maresca comments give a major clue about when wonderkid’s next appearance will be

Originally posted on Chelsea News | Last updated Sep 13, 2025 11:00 AM ET

In the light of Ryan Kavuma-McQueen’s amazing England display last week. Enzo Maresca was asked about some of the young players at Chelsea and how he kept up with them all in a busy season.

He praised a whole bunch of the academy players and explained that he had a staff member detailed to watch the Development Squad games. But the one he picked out for special praise was Reggie Walsh, who he gave a debut to last season in the Conference League as a 16 year old.

He called the young midfielder “perfect” for his system then, and clearly hasn’t changed his mind.

Maresca hails rising star Reggie Walsh

“I like Reggie because he is doing things that I am demanding from the other players, but he is doing those things without me asking him to do them,” the manager said in quotes on the Chelsea official website.

“So I don’t need to ask him to do something; what he is doing already is what I want from that player. That’s why I love Reggie.”

Maresca’s Walsh praise rings true, next appearance comes soon

Sometimes you get the sense that a manager is just talking up a young academy player because they know it’s what the fans want to hear. But in this case, we’re buying it. It’s hard to get Enzo too excited on any topic, so to see his eyes light up and his really detailed and genuine praise of Walsh is pretty convincing.

Even with a lot of midfielders injured or fatigued from international duty, we don’t think we’ll be seeing Reggie today. However we can tell you very confidently that we probably will see him against Lincoln in our first Carabao Cup game of the season later this month.

This article first appeared on Chelsea News and was syndicated with permission.

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