Chelsea wonderkid can become Enzo Maresca's Lamine Yamal as secret weapon shows class

Chelsea star Andrey Santos has been named in WhoScored's under-21 team of the season so far across Europe's top five leagues after impressing on loan at Ligue 1 side Strasbourg.

The 20-year-old was sent out on loan to France this season in the hope of gaining regular first-team action given the Blues' overcrowded squad. He moved to Stamford Bridge last year from Brazilian outfit Vasco De Gama as the Blues looked to take advantage of his vast potential.

Santos is yet to make a competitive appearance for Chelsea, but his incredible start at Strasbourg could be a precursor of what's to come and should he continue in his current form, he could become a secret weapon for Enzo Maresca who will surely give him a chance upon his return to West London.

READ MORE: Jamie Carragher completes Chelsea U-turn and reveals key way Enzo Maresca has 'proven him wrong'

READ MORE: Chelsea icon Thiago Silva sends Neymar heartfelt four-word message as injury nightmare continues

After a disastrous loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season, the Blues decided to send him to Strasbourg where he's scored five goals and provided one assist in ten Ligue 1 games.

That form has led to him being named in WhoScored's U21 team of the season so far for Europe's top five leagues alongside star names such as Lamine Yamal and Jamal Musiala. Given Santos' inclusion alongside such superstars, Maresca will no doubt be hoping Santos can make a huge impact on his return to Stamford Bridge.

Of course, it's still early days and competition at Chelsea will be huge in his position given the form of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. But Santos will fancy his chances, and given he's been compared to compatriot and former Santos player Douglas Luiz you can see why. He lines up deep for Strasbourg playing in a box-to-box role rather than as a number 10 - making his goal scoring ability even more admirable.

Santos' development was always going to involve spells on loan, something that Chelsea are known for when it comes to their academy products. Santos is showing that age is just a number and that he deserves to be playing at the highest level, whether that's at Chelsea or elsewhere is up to Maresca.

The midfielder previously explained how he hopes his loan spell will help him to live his Chelsea ‘dream’. "I'm very happy to have returned to Chelsea and, now at Strasbourg, to have found my best performance, to have found my place in Europe, and to have shown my football to the whole of Europe," he previously told Brazilian outlet ge.globo.

"If I perform well [at Strasbourg], things will happen naturally. It's a dream to play for Chelsea. I understand that it's hard for a Brazilian to arrive and, right away, start playing for a big team in Europe."