YOUNG Chelsea defender Jake Clarke-Salter is so highly-rated at Chelsea that he was called into the first team earlier this year.
He even made his first team bow, play 15 minutes of the Blues’ 4-0 win at Aston Villa last season in the Premier League just days after fellow centre-back Kurt Zouma became injured.
But the highly-rated starlet is one of 38 players to be sent out on loan from Stamford Bridge to League 1 side Bristol Rovers for his first taste of the EFL.
He was handed a surprise debut as part of a back three at Sheffield United this week and came through his first test with flying colours following an impressive performance in a match the Pirates narrowly lost 1-0.
Afterwards, the Surrey-born defender and England U19 captain explained why he chose to leave on a season-long loan. He said: “I enjoyed the whole experience aside from the end result.
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“There were almost 20,000 people there and it was vital experience for me to be thrown in at the deep end at one of the biggest stadiums in League One.
“It was a pretty surreal experience and you don’t quite understand how much emphasis is placed on getting three points until you are thrown into these competitive games.
“It took me a while to adjust to the tempo of the game because it was quicker than I thought it would be and very different to what I have experienced at Chelsea.
“The speed of the game was a surprise and the strikers are very clever in terms of their movement and experience. They think quicker than the strikers I have played against and they are also physically stronger.
“I think the areas of my game that will benefit most from playing regularly at this level are the defensive side and physical side.
“I feel that coming here will definitely help me improve around those aspects of the game and I’m looking forward to stepping up and facing those new challenges and different problems.”
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