Callum Hudson-Odoi is slowly finding his way back into the Chelsea first team. He is now 19 with the world at his feet, and a long way to go.
One of the hardest things to remember about young, incredibly talented players is the young bit. Breakout teenagers like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kylian Mbappe broke the rules for everyone. Their excellent form as teenagers never stopped and seemingly that is the level every teenager needs to meet if they show that level of talent even just once.
Not even a year ago, Bayern Munich was desperate to bring Callum Hudson-Odoi in nearly sight unseen. He was simply desperate to play. The board held off a transfer request and forced Maurizio Sarri to play the kid and it went as well as was expected. In a year that Eden Hazard dominated, Hudson-Odoi was the only other winger to offer any signs of life. But his injury robbed him of the end of the season and the summer and the Blues are only just now seeing him again.
Even after his long injury layoff, some refuse to give Hudson-Odoi a break. He showed the talent once, now he is required to show it all of the time. But again, he is young and that is the part that is often forgotten. He is only 19, but the world is still very much at his feet.
Hudson-Odoi’s initial appearances after coming off injury were electric and gave fans hope. It is just the most recent ones that have bothered some fans, though it is of course the same people who are quick to pile on Mason Mount or Tammy Abraham as soon as something goes wrong.
The last few times Hudson-Odoi has played, it has almost looked as though he was trying too hard to make things happen. It was as if he was pushing his body beyond what it was ready to do. That was a big, pace stealing injury he suffered and it would not be surprising if it has affected him in some way. But on that some line, it could simply be that he is young and his form will be a roller coaster of sorts at times.
Abraham and Mount both had that same roller coaster form at the start of the season. Frank Lampard, rather than drop them for someone else, played them through the form. Of course, they also had to earn those starts in training, but eventually both climbed out of the trough and leveled out. The fitness issues are still going to be a concern for Hudson-Odoi for a little longer, but there is a strong argument that this rough patch can simply be played through.
See, beyond just Mount, Abraham, or Fikayo Tomori, Hudson-Odoi showed that the academy has something special too it. And when a club like Bayern Munich starts talking about a record breaking fee for a player who was nearly sight unseen at the professional level, the world should take notice.
Hudson-Odoi is now 19 and is coming off a big injury. But despite that, and despite the recent criticisms, the world is there for him to take. He will have to fight his way into the team, just like anyone else, but once he settles Chelsea will have someone truly special to work with. Most already know that, but soon everyone will.