“I should blame myself” - Mourinho once backed 3 Chelsea players for stardom during second spell as manager, one of them retired aged 26 due to injury
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had once named three upcoming Chelsea players as future stars of the game. The Portuguese boss had claimed that Lewis Baker, Izzy Brown and Dominic Solanke would go on to become great players and even feature for the national side.
He had said (via SPORTbible):
"My conscience tells me that if, for example, [Lewis] Baker, [Izzy] Brown and [Dominic] Solanke are not national team players in a few years, I should blame myself.
“They are part of a process the club started without me. At this moment, we have players who will be Chelsea players. And when they become Chelsea players, they will become England players, almost for sure.”
Lewis Baker eventually did feature for the Blues' senior squad, making two appearances in the FA Cup eight years apart. He spent most of his time with the London side on loan, moving to teams like Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United, MK Dons, Middlesbrough and Reading, to name a few.
He exited the club permanently to join Stoke City in 2022, where he has gone on to make 71 appearances, bagging 17 goals and seven assists.
A series of injuries meant Izzy Brown could never break into the senior side. He was also sent on loan multiple times to the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion, Leeds, Rotherham and Luton.
He signed for Preston North End in 2021 but was released a year later without making a single appearance. Eventually, he announced his retirement in April 2023 at the age of 26, owing to injuries to both his Achilles tendons as well as a nervous system problem.
Dominic Solanke has become the most successful of the lot. The striker made a solitary appearance for Chelsea in the Champions League before moving to Liverpool.
Following an unsuccessful stint with the Reds, he joined Bournemouth in 2019. He has grown into a key player for the Cherries, firing them into promotion in 2021-22 and now leading them with 12 goals in the league this season. He also made his national team debut in 2017, coming off the bench in a friendly against Brazil.
Chelsea star status for Liverpool clash in doubt: Reports
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill's availability for their upcoming Premier League clash against Liverpool is in question. This comes after the 20-year-old missed the side's training session on Monday.
Colwill was originally in the starting lineup for the Blues' FA Cup clash against Aston Villa. However, a hamstring injury during warm-ups meant his name was scratched off late, with Alfie Gilchrist replacing him.
The Evening Standard report that Chelsea do not believe that the injury is serious, though he could miss time. He has featured heavily for Mauricio Pochettino this season, scoring one goal and getting one assist in 27 appearances.