Mauricio Pochettino admits no-one expected Cole Palmer to be such a success after his arrival at Chelsea last summer.
The 21-year-old signed from Manchester City in the summer after struggling for regular football at the Etihad and has had a huge impact in west London.
Palmer scored a hat-trick as Chelsea beat Manchester United 4-3 in a thriller on Thursday night and has broken into the England squad following his performances this season.
The forward has 16 goals and eight assists in the Premier League, with no u-23 player across Europe’s top five leagues having been involved in more goals.
Palmer’s performances are expected to earn him a place in the England squad for this summer’s European Championship and Pochettino admits even Chelsea have been surprised at the speed of his development at Stamford Bridge.
“It is not easy to talk, it is difficult to explain. Sometimes expectation plays a role in a player when they are young. I think when we signed him, no-one expected him to perform like this,” Pochettino said at his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Sheffield United.
“For sure, we have talented players and they need time. We have a young team that needs to grow. This process is painful when you are not in a position the club is used to. The club want to build this new project. We know what we are doing but the process is not so fast.”
