On Wednesday evening, and for just the second time, Hato completed a full 90 minutes in a Chelsea shirt. It felt like another big step in his acclimatisation to life in west London.

It was perhaps fitting that it came against the club he left for the Blues just a few months ago, as we defeated Ajax 5-1 in the UEFA Champions League at Stamford Bridge. However, Hato and his team-mates’ attention has quickly shifted back to domestic matters, namely tomorrow's Premier League meeting with Sunderland.

Enzo Maresca had said after the Dutch teenager’s early league appearances that he was still adapting to the specific demands of English football and was being eased into the action as a result.

That is something the defender himself agrees with, but he also insists he is making quick progress on that front.

‘It wasn’t easy to move from the Dutch league to the Premier League,’ admits Hato. ‘It is a big step, there’s such a big difference, but I knew that. It wasn’t a shock; I was expecting that.

‘I would say that I was maybe struggling a bit at the beginning, with the physical side and the tempo of the game. But now I think every day I am feeling better and better, and when the coach needs me, I am ready. He’s a great coach.

‘It’s getting better every day and now I’m making minutes again. I played 90 minutes on Wednesday, so for me it’s good.’

Hato was one of three teenagers named in the Chelsea starting line-up against Ajax – only the second time we have ever done so in a Champions League fixture, and the first since 2010 – underlining the youthful nature of this Blues side.

Our average age at kick-off was 22 years and 163 days, and it got younger when substitutes started to be introduced from half-time.

However, Hato points out, any opponents underestimating this team because of their age do so at their own peril.

Despite the players’ youth, there is plenty of quality and experience in the squad. Hato himself already had more than 100 senior appearances under his belt in the Netherlands before joining Chelsea.

‘We’re a young group. I’m 19 and I’m not even the youngest, so that says a lot,’ continued Jorrel.

‘We have such a lot of young players with a lot of quality and I think those young players are really hungry and ready for games like we had on Wednesday.

‘We have young players but Reece (James), for example, is a player who has been here for a long time and who has a lot of experience. Players like Tosin (Adarabioyo and Cucu (Marc Cucurella), who are already older, have experience as well.

‘So it’s not really different from when I was at Ajax. The group is younger but with a lot of quality and we have experience.’