“He can do anything with his feet.” Which Chelsea player is Guus Hiddink describing to Sky Sports?
Pass-master Cesc Fabregas? PFA Player of the Year for 2014-15, Eden Hazard? Bang-in-form striker Diego Costa? Nope. He is talking about Chelsea’s outstanding player this season – Willian.
Hiddink is quoted by Sky Sports as saying: “He is gifted by nature with his talent. His feet are like hands. He can do anything with his feet. He is working and does whatever you ask him to do.”
It is deserved praise for the Brazilian, who has been a model of consistence excellence during a season in which so many of his more-esteemed teammates have floundered, much to Chelsea’s detriment.
The 27-year-old has scored nine goals for the Blues this season – four in the Premier League and five in the Champions League, and has only been leapfrogged as Chelsea’s top scorer by Costa this month.
He has made 36 appearances in all competitions for the Londoners – more than any other player – and has never let them down with his exceptional work-rate, creativity and set-piece expertise.
Willian would probably in for a shout for PFA Player of the Year this campaign were it not for the form of Leicester City pair Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy, who have fired the Foxes to the top of the table.
The former Shakhtar Donetsk attacker, who joined Chelsea in 2013, is expected to start this afternoon when the Blues host Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
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