Gary Lineker has hailed ‘very special’ Wesley Fofana and says Chelsea fans ‘don’t know how good he is’.
Fofana scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea as the Blues clinched a much-needed 1-0 win over Leeds United on Saturday.
Much was expected of Fofana after he completed a £70m move from Leicester City last summer but the 21-year-old has struggled with injury during his stint at Stamford Bridge.
Fofana spent three years at Leicester before moving to west London but also had lengthy periods on the sidelines at the King Power Stadium.
Despite Fofana’s injury issues, Foxes fan Lineker believes Chelsea signed a ‘very special’ player last summer and says the club’s fans are yet to see his full potential.
‘I said to some friends of mine who support Chelsea, you don’t know how good this kid is yet,’ Lineker said on BBC’s Match of the Day.
‘He’s been injured the whole time at Chelsea basically. But he’s very special.’
Ex-England midfielder Danny Murphy added: ‘He’s a tremendous player, Fofana. He just pipped Ben Chilwell to the Man of the Match award for me.
‘His passing is excellent. He’s comfortable on the ball and he’s a threat in both boxes. It’s crucial timing for Chelsea as well with Thiago Silva out for a few weeks.’
Chelsea had won just two of their previous 15 matches prior to their 1-0 victory over relegation-battlers Leeds, sparking speculation Graham Potter could lose his job.
‘Potter will be pleased because there was a bit more urgency than last week,’ Murphy said. ‘They are struggling in front of goal but it was a step in the right direction.’
Blues boss Potter also heaped praise on Fofana after he opened his account for Chelsea on his seventh appearance for the club.
‘Wesley Fofana has been a big miss for us,’ the ex-Brighton boss said. ‘He’s one of the players who has been out for a while.
‘He is physical, brave with the ball and does what he does well in the box which is attack the ball. It gave us a win.’
On Chelsea’s crucial win, Potter added: ‘It is massive for us. I’m delighted for the players and supporters.
‘We’ve had to suffer. It’s been a challenging period. I thought we played well in the first half and attacked well.
‘We were a team who had something to lose so it was great character from the players, they cared and showed togetherness in the team. It gives us something to build on.’
MORE : Chelsea star slammed by Michael Dawson and Gabby Agbonlahor after Leeds win
MORE : Graham Potter should call upon John Terry amid Chelsea crisis, says Paul Merson
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