The midfielder completed his move to Stamford Bridge earlier this month and was soon jetting off to the US for the Club World Cup as a member of Enzo Maresca’s squad. The landmarks kept coming. A few days later, Essugo made his first Chelsea appearance as a substitute in the 2-0 victory over Los Angeles.

While he may be in the early throes of his Blues career, the 20-year-old explained his development and acclimatisation has already been substantial.

‘Everything here is very good,’ said Essugo.

‘It’s a different experience and I felt very good and proud to make my debut for Chelsea. The environment and my team-mates help me a lot.

‘I am learning with the coach, the players, the midfielders here. It is a different level. The players are amazing. Enzo has a different idea of football, like all the managers, but I always try to catch what he wants.’

Essugo singles out the calmness of Romeo Lavia as a quality he admires, while fellow midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo are ‘big players who play for their national team and for Chelsea’. It is not lost on the Portuguese what an ‘amazing opportunity’ he has to feed off their talent every day.

Even in his brief cameo against LAFC, Essugo showcased his dynamism in midfield. It is a trait that has long served us well in that part of the pitch, with the likes of Claude Makelele, Michael Essien and N’Golo Kante among the very best to have performed the role.

Essugo holds aspirations of reaching their level while also acknowledging he is his own player, with his own skillset.

‘To be honest, I never saw Makelele on TV, but the people told me a lot about Makelele and say I have some similar parts of his game,' Essugo said.

‘They are big players. I want to make my own way but also like to see Makelele, Essien and Kante, to follow their steps.

‘I always play as a midfielder, I am a defensive midfielder, but I also like to go forward with the ball, box to box. Of course it is good when they compare you with a very big player, but it is a mix of both because I want to try to have my way, to achieve the top.’

Essugo’s first small steps on that path have now been taken.