Since becoming Blues head coach in early January, Rosenior has featured Delap in 12 of the 14 matches he’s been in the dugout, with the forward impressing both on the training ground and in games.

Although his minutes have been more limited of late due to the outstanding performances of Joao Pedro, which have seen the Brazilian lead Chelsea's front line, the head coach believes healthy competition will only bring the best out of the striker.

Rosenior knows full well what Delap is capable of, after the pair enjoyed a successful 2023/24 campaign together at Hull City, where the young striker thrived under his head coach, making 32 appearances and scoring eight goals.

But Rosenior was also quick to point to a more recent example, Delap's superb performance against old club Hull in the previous round of the FA Cup, and has full confidence in his ability to deliver on the pitch in the biggest moments.

‘In Liam’s last game, he got three assists – he’s in a good place,’ Rosenior said during his pre-match press conference.

‘You need a good group, and Joao Pedro is on fire, but that’s nothing on Liam – that’s Joao’s performance. That’s the level that we need to have, and I expect Liam, when he does get his opportunity, to take it and show his quality.

‘It’s not about comparing players, it’s about respecting them for their individual strength. Liam will have his opportunities to play in big games, and it’s up to him to take them, and I’m confident that he will.’

Our head coach also applies this approach when discussing his wider squad, highlighting the importance of every member of the team contributing throughout the season.

When asked about the prospect of rotating his side at Wrexham on Saturday night, Rosenior continued: ‘I said from day one that I will use the entire squad. I don’t think I’ve had the same starting XI in any game we’ve played because I know I have an excellent squad. My idea and the club’s idea is to build a squad to win trophies, and you need to rotate.

‘From us playing in the Club World Cup, we’ve played a lot of games in a short space of time. We need to make sure we’re strong enough to compete in every game, and we’re expected to win every game we play.’