There is some sort of message in the fact that Tyrique George's 19th birthday comes one day - or really, just an hour - after the January transfer window closes. He will surely start that day as he ended the 5-0 win over Morecambe, a firm part of Enzo Maresca's Chelsea squad.

George is, in his first season as a senior member, only really the fourth-choice left-winger. He hasn't played a minute of Premier League football, which indicates that, and has only been on the bench in three matches.

Given that Maresca has also turned to Christopher Nkunku on the left at times, he might actually be further down the pecking order. His chances of an immediate breakthrough on the right aren't much brighter either due to the immense competition for places.

However, George is now more than just an academy prodigy coming through. He has a space in the first-team changing room and is a staple in Maresca's cup side. He was only called into the development squad again on Wednesday due to the magnitude of the game.

As you would expect, a player now starting to become more accustomed to men's football was able to show his quality. George scored an important equalising goal for Filipe Coelho's team against Sporting CP in the Premier League International Cup. It was a must-win game for the young Blues and George, along with other regular members of the Conference League rotation, was called on to make an impact.

For Kiano Dyer, Sam Rak-Sakyi, and Shumeira Mheuka, this is their current patch. George has graduated from youth football, though, and marked his full-time promotion into Maresca's plans, by starting three days later in the FA Cup third round against Morecambe.

Unlike in the Conference League, George was the only Cobham star in the team here (Reece James is on a different plane). Josh Acheampong has now progressed beyond even cup minutes and is set to start the midweek clash with Bournemouth after being granted a full league debut away to Crystal Palace.

For George, he is more raw than his fellow 18-year-old teammate. The natural talent flows for him, but Chelsea's attacking options are not only more in-form than at the back; there are simply just more of them.

Acheampong, for example, is not fighting against Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho for minutes. He is proving that the hype is well-placed and fully justified as he starts to keep more experienced names Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo out of the strongest XI.

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George is not that advanced yet but has shown in Conference League displays that he is ready to be trusted. From two bench appearances to start the campaign - when he was still trying to fully impress and win over Maresca - he has now completed 90 minutes in the last two.

In the early-season Carabao Cup third-round fixture with Barrow he was only a substitute but still got half an hour from the bench. George has shown that he is too good for age-group football, though, so sticking with the senior team and learning that way has been the desired pathway.

Maresca has admitted that a loan in January is not on the cards and that the club would prefer George to remain in a bid to build-up familiarity with the head coach and other players. This is the Phil Foden and Ethan Nwaneri route, rather than the Mason Mount one.

The same is true for Acheampong. Chelsea want to get them both into the team naturally throughout a season rather than asking them to go elsewhere.

George is rewarding the faith placed in him, to validate this. Morecambe may well be the second-worst team in the EFL but this was a new sort of task.

Conference League games have been a bit of a joke for Chelsea and even George has found himself taking the micky a bit. His dribbling and neat footwork have left opposition players on the floor, opening up space like an academy fixture.

The first half at Stamford Bridge with Morecambe was different. The League Two side were more resilient, actually, than some of Chelsea's European challenges - which says a lot about the Conference League group phase - and Chelsea were a long way from their best.

Passes were slow, play was predictable, and a team of names who have little chance of featuring often in the Premier League acted in that manner. Things changed after the break with a few substitutions and a dressing down from Maresca.

George was a livewire throughout. On his preferred left flank, he provided a constant outlet and plenty of energy. Always seeking to do advance matters on the ball, he played like he had something to prove. Others weren't as demanding of attention and went through the motions.

The thing is, with George and this Chelsea squad, had Mykhailo Mudryk not been suspended following his failed drug test, it might not have happened like this. George would either have been stuck on the right side or not at all as Maresca offered time to his wider array of options.

He has taken his chance in the absence of Mudryk, who looks more and more like a totally misguided £62million signing (that could rise to £88million if all add-ons are met) by the day. Outside of that, and George is showing that Chelsea don't have to think about replacing Mudryk, either.

Not only does George not need the extra hurdle to minutes in any competition, he can argue that Felix and Neto are also under threat now as well. They are both ahead of him currently and will likely remain so for a while but George is growing in confidence and quality.

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His twinkle toes in possession are at odds to the sheer passing and control that many elite managers now seek. George is a risk-taker and a dancer on the ball. He bounces and hopes to use skill in bypassing opponents. There is an exciting directness to his game.

As mentioned, he is also extremely raw and the minor failure, so far, to score, is a grievance. George is desperate to bag for Chelsea, his boyhood club, and that can be seen on his face and in his performances at points. He looks to be trying too hard.

Morecambe saw him find an element of calmness and acceptance. There was no sense of George being rushed or over-eager. He just played like someone who belonged.

It was timely, too. Chelsea had been linked to signing Napoli's electric attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia just days earlier. He is set to join Paris Saint-Germain for over £70million but was momentarily looking like a genuine option for Chelsea.

He would, it appears, be an effective replacement for Mudryk. That doesn't take much replacing right now, though, and an already congested part of the field would be further bloated.

George would have been the big loser. He will want more than just take any of Mudryk's minutes between now and May, if the Ukrainian is indeed going to be banned for longer. It would be a big call for Maresca to say that someone of George's current stature is ready to cover for a big-name signing like Mudryk, no matter how poor the return has been, but it is increasingly the only outcome that makes any sense.