Steven Gerrard predicts £29m Chelsea star will give Xabi Alonso ‘a problem’ | Football

Steven Gerrard has warned Xabi Alonso that Estevao could become a selection problem at Chelsea this season.

Alonso faced criticism over his decision to leave Estevao on the bench against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup last week and reports have claimed that the 19-year-old has become frustrated over his lack of playing time for Chelsea this season.

Estevao was finally handed his first Premier League start of the season last Saturday and delivered an impressive performance as Chelsea sealed a 2-0 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

Gerrard was also an admirer of Estevao’s display against United and praised the Brazilian winger for his direct approach on Chelsea’s right flank.

‘He’s exciting. He’s great to watch,’ Gerrard said on The Overlap.

‘Your typical Brazilian, where it’s about flair, it’s about quality, but I really like that he’s very direct. I like that he’s hungry to get shots off.

‘If there’s a little criticism of some of the players for Liverpool in the attacking areas, I would say they don’t shoot enough. They’re looking for maybe that extra pass or that little bit of perfection, whereas what I like about Estevao is, certainly the one when he came in off the left, a little combination play and he whips that, and it’s a fantastic save from the United keeper.

‘But I like the way he’s hungry to get shots off. And there was an opportunity in the first half where he could have slowed the game down a bit more and looked to pull it back to the edge of the box, but he wanted to be that little bit hungry to go and get himself a goal.

‘So, he’s desperate to impress the manager. And he’s going to give Xabi a problem when Joao Pedro comes back, because Pedro Neto’s a great player as well, but five doesn’t go into that front four, so it’s going to be interesting.

‘But he’s done himself no harm at all in terms of his own individual performance, Estevao.’

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