Cole Palmer was paid a huge compliment by former manager Mauricio Pochettino, who compared him to one of the best players of the current generation.
Palmer continued his incredible run of form for Chelsea with an incredible four-goal haul inside one half in the 4-2 win over Brighton on Saturday.
It was a record-breaking feat from the former Manchester City player, who has now scored 31 goals in 53 games for the Blues.
Palmer, who also scored for England in the Euro 2024 final, has quickly developed into one of the very best players in the Premier League.
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In recent times the 22-year-old has earned comparisons to both Dennis Bergkamp and Gareth Bale in recent times.
But USMNT boss Pochettino, who coached Palmer for a season at Chelsea, has a different answer for who he reminds him of.
Speaking in a press conference last season, Pochettino said: "Juan Mata? No, he is more Di Maria! You know, the body and the way he moves."
Di Maria had a disappointing time in England with Manchester United after a £59.75 million move in 2014 but shone at Real Madrid before that and played a key role in Argentina's World Cup triumph in Qatar.
The 36-year-old is back with Benfica in Portugal and Pochettino doubled down on likening Palmer to Di Maria in a different interview with TNT Sports, stating he has "some similarities and the quality".
He also said Palmer "has the capacity and potential to be close" to Di Maria in the future if he keep improving.
“In the position that he plays, and because he’s a left-footer and because he has some similarities and the quality, he’s a potential Angel Di Maria,” Pochettino said.
“Angel is a world champion, he was in Paris [Saint-Germain] with us, and is an amazing player.
“He [Palmer] has the capacity and the potential to be close to him, with time. He’s still far away, but this type of player that can link, can be a playmaker, have the capacity to score, assist, it’s this type of player like Angel.”
Topics: Mauricio Pochettino, Cole Palmer, Chelsea
Josh Lawless