Chelsea ace Hakim Ziyech will not travel to Cameroon in January. (GETTY Images)
Former Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt has backed Hakim Ziyech to evolve into a key player for Chelsea, despite a rather underwhelming start to life for the Moroccan international at the English capital. (h/t Football London)
The 27-year-old came through the door at Stamford Bridge from Ajax this past summer with a lot of expectations, having proven his worth as a creative maestro in the Champions League. Ziyech has struggled to hit similar heights in the Premier League, though, partly due to injuries.
However, Kuyt believes it’s only a matter of time before Ziyech and Man United summer signing Donny van de Beek start showing their quality in English football. Speaking to Ziggo Sport (h/t Football London), the Dutchman said:
“They have performed fantastically in the Champions League, and have shown that they can compete with the absolute top of the world. Then you come to Chelsea or United and then you want to continue that. It just takes time.
“If you look at the qualities of those players, I am convinced that if they can keep the patience, they will get there. They are going to experience a very nice period there.”
Ziyech established himself as one of the best attacking midfielders over the course of his illustrious spell at Ajax in the Netherlands. The Moroccan won the Eredivisie and Dutch Cup double in 2018-19 while he was also instrumental in the club’s fairytale march to the semi-finals of the Champions League that season.
The 27-year-old hasn’t quite made the impact many would have hoped for when he joined Chelsea last year. Ziyech has scored just twice in 18 appearances across all competitions for the Blues so far this term, starting only 8 times in the PL due to injuries.
Following the appointment of Thomas Tuchel towards the end of January, Hakim Ziyech has featured in one of the three games Chelsea have played. He started the goalless draw against Wolves before being replaced by Mason Mount in the second half.
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