These stories are samples pulled from external media sources. They do not represent the views or position of Chelsea Football Club.

Young stars get good reviews

Billy Gilmour, Reece James and Marc Guehi all received solid reviews from the Evening Standard after the trio of Academy graduates made their first starts for Chelsea’s senior team in our 7-1 victory over Grimsby Town on Wednesday.

The paper was especially impressed with Gilmour, who was in our starting line-up for the first time after making his debut as a substitute against Sheffield United last month.

‘The young midfielder may have the look of a schoolboy playing a few age groups up, but Gilmour put on a performance of a player twice his age,’ stated the report.

‘The Scot looked comfortable barking orders at his senior teammates and was composed and intelligent in possession, turning well in tight pockets of space and playing smart passes out from the back.

‘Gilmour’s stature, too, belies his physicality. The 18-year-old patrolled the midfield with ease, ferociously snapping at any Grimsby player who came near, more often than not winning the ball before his head came up and he looked to play forward.

‘From start to finish, Gilmour ran proceedings from the centre circle.’

Making his first appearance for the Blues after an impressive season on loan at Wigan, James also caught the eye, setting up goals for Michy Batshuayi and Kurt Zouma before finding the net himself.

‘With six academy graduates on the pitch, James took centre stage, drifting infield before whipping a fine, curling effort into the bottom corner from the edge of the area,’ said the Standard of his 82nd-minute strike to make it 5-1.

‘He will be a fine option for Lampard going forward should he be called upon.’

There was also praise for Guehi, who slotted in well on his debut at centre-back.

‘On the whole it was an encouraging night for Guehi alongside Kurt Zouma,’ added the paper.

‘The 19-year-old was assured as Chelsea looked to play out of the back and continued to battle with James Hanson regardless of the fact their duel largely consisted of the Chelsea Academy graduate bouncing off the striker.’

Travel concerns for Solskjaer

According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking forward to bringing his side to Stamford Bridge for the fourth round of the Carabao although he voiced concern about their busy travel schedule during that spell.

United are set to play four away games in nine days from 24 October to 2 November with Premier League visits to Norwich City and Bournemouth and a Champions League trip to Partizan Belgrade in addition to the Carabao Cup clash against the Blues.

‘If you want to win it then you have to beat the best,’ said Solskjaer after his team needed a penalty shoot-out to beat League One side Rochdale at Old Trafford.

‘We played them first game of the season this year, we played them in the FA Cup last year.

‘It slots nicely into a couple of weeks with loads of travelling!

‘That’s how it is and we’ve got to make the best out of it. I’m sure we are because that’s the type of group this is, that’s the type of club we are.

‘We’re not gonna say, “Ahh!” – we’re going to relish it and look forward to it.’

Loftus-Cheek revs up his comeback training

Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s recovery from an Achilles injury, which has kept him out of action since May, appears to be going well with the midfielder tweeting a video of himself working out on a stationary bike.

The 23-year-old ruptured his Achilles while playing against New England Revolution in a charity game and had to undergo surgery in the summer.

However, he appears to have responded well to his rehabilitation in the video, which shows him pedalling hard on the bike and is accompanied by the comment: ‘Getting that work in’.

The video has received over 170,000 views and has been liked by more than 6,500 Twitter users including Cesar Azpilicueta, who commented Loftus-Cheek was in ‘beast mode’.