Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca praised Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap ahead of the team's meeting on Monday.
Delap is a player he previously worked with at Manchester City's academy, and the Blues boss predicted the 21-year-old could become an “important player for England”.
Delap has been an outstanding player for Ipswich this season, scoring six goals in his first full season in the Premier League.
The young striker, who is the son of former Premier League star Rory Delap, joined Ipswich in the summer in a deal worth up to £20m after leaving Manchester City's academy.
Commenting on his time as Delap's coach, Maresca said: “Liam is a fantastic player, also for his age. I think we spent one year together, and he scored (about) 22 to 24 goals. He's a very good striker.
He added: “England have many good players, many good strikers (but) he does his best without the ball and on the ball, understands the game and can score goals. I think he can be an important player for England.”
🚨👀 Enzo Maresca: “Liam Delap is a great player.”
“We spent one year together, and he scored 24 goals… it's a very good goal.”
He added: “He works hard without the ball, understands the game and can score goals. He can become an important player for England.” pic.twitter.com/ILXHuXr7qt
– Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 27, 2024
During his time with City's Under-21s, Delap was prolific, scoring an incredible 35 goals in just 36 appearances.
He also gained valuable experience in loan spells at Stoke City, Preston North End and Hull City in the Championship before making a permanent move to Ipswich to secure regular first-team football.
Although Delap has yet to make his England debut, he has represented the country at various youth levels, including 10 caps for the Under-21s, in which he scored twice.
Ipswich are still in a battle for survival, sitting 19th in the Premier League and three points from safety, but Delap will be hoping to beat his former boss when he is welcomed back to Portman Road.
