Ian Maatsen has joined the Chelsea squad for our pre-season tour of the USA, after returning from a hugely successful loan in the Championship with Burnley, where he was a key figure in their return to the Premier League as second-tier champions and was named in the Championship Team of the Year.

One person clearly paying attention to Maatsen’s great form over the last year was Mauricio Pochettino, but now they are working together at Chelsea our new head coach has had the opportunity to see him in action up close, both in training and matches.

It is fair to say the Argentinian likes what he has seen, having selected the young Dutchman in his starting line-up for all three of our games in America so far, making use of his versatility by utilising him as a winger on the left and right flanks, rather than the left-back role he excelled in at Burnley.

‘I am so happy with him,’ said Pochettino, after witnessing another impressive performance by Maatsen in our 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in Atlanta. ‘He is a player that can play in different positions. He has quality, he understands the game, and he is such a clever player.’

With Maatsen having shown clear progress following previous loans with Coventry City and Charlton Athletic since making his senior debut for the Blues in a 7-1 League Cup thrashing of Grimsby in 2019, both the player and the coaching staff have no doubt been carefully considering what the next step will be in the 21-year-old’s career for the coming campaign.

Whether that will be here at Chelsea or elsewhere to continue his development on loan for another year remains to be seen, but in Pochettino’s mind it seems the 21-year-old’s performances are starting to convince the head coach there could be a place for him in our 2023/24 squad.

‘So far, he is in my plan, yes,’ confirmed Pochettino. ‘I am so pleased with him, as I’ve said, because of his attitude, commitment and his understanding of the game.

‘He is a player that you can use in different positions and that is a good thing for the team and the coaching staff. It is always good to have this type of player.’

So far so good for Maatsen, then, and he still has plenty of time left to continue impressing his boss in our remaining two matches of the US tour, against Fulham and Borussia Dortmund.