It's safe to say Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater has struggled since his £35 million move from Leicester City in 2017.
The 31-year-old has made just 19 appearances for the Premier League side since joining the ranks at Stamford Bridge for that big fee, and has spent the majority of his time on loan at Burnley, Aston Villa and Turkish club Kasimpasa.
His last first-team appearance (before this month's pre-season schedule) for Chelsea came back in July 2019 when he came up against Reading. But despite a lack of minutes, manager Thomas Tuchel has decided to use the midfielder this month - and he has impressed.
Drinkwater was given the chance to make his mark in a behind-closed-doors friendly against newly-promoted Championship side Peterborough last week alongside Ross Barkey, Marcos Alonso and Christian Pulisic; a fixture they won 6-1.
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And days later, the former Leicester City man produced an impressive 45-minute cameo against Bournemouth.
In the below compilation, the experienced deep-lying playmaker can be seen dictating the tempo from central areas and spraying balls to the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi throughout. He genuinely stood out as Chelsea's best player.
After what was a solid performance from Drinkwater against Scott Parker's side, plenty of Chelsea fans took to social media to express their surprise - and admiration - for the midfielder's efforts. In fact, some want to see him in Tuchel's plans in the coming months.
Do you think Thomas Tuchel should give Danny Drinkwater more chances to prove himself for Chelsea this season?
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Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Chelsea, Danny Drinkwater, Premier League, friendly, bournemouth
