Chelsea favourite Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has praised the performances of Nicolas Jackson this season and admits he has ‘liked what he has seen’ from the forward.
Jackson signed for Chelsea from Villarreal in a £32m deal earlier this summer and has impressed across the club’s opening fixtures of the Premier League campaign.
The Senegal striker is yet to open his account for the Blues, but has caught the eye with all-action displays against Liverpool and West Ham.
Hasselbaink – who scored 69 league goals across four seasons at Chelsea and twice won the Premier League Golden Boot during his career – admits he has liked what he has seen from Jackson so far and has backed the 21-year-old to succeed at Stamford Bridge.
“I’ve liked what I’ve seen. He led the line really well against Liverpool, he was a handful against West Ham,” Hasselbaink told talkSPORT.
“He just needs a little bit of help, but that also just takes time to get to know your teammates and for your teammates to know you. The Premier League is not an easy league. It’s the hardest league [and] it’s the best league. He’ll be fine.”
Hasselbaink said he would have preferred Jackson to take Chelsea’s penalty during the club’s defeat at West Ham, with Enzo Fernandez missing from the spot as the west Londoners lost to their capital rivals last weekend.
“I would have loved to have seen Jackson take the penalty to be honest because if he scores, that would give him a little bit of confidence and he would be off the mark.”
