Maresca backs Estevao to challenge for Ballon d'Or

Enzo Maresca feels Chelsea have a future Ballon d'Or candidate on their hands in the form of youngster Estevao.

The 18-year-old has adapted quickly to life at one of the Premier League's biggest clubs, having arrived from Palmeiras in the summer.

Estevao scored a late winner against Liverpool prior to the international break, and also found the net in a 5-1 Champions League defeat of Ajax this week, becoming Chelsea's youngest scorer in the competition in the process.

Chelsea have the youngest average starting XI age in the Premier League this season (24 years, 116 days), with Estevao having tallied up 277 minutes across seven appearances in the top flight.

And Maresca believes the teenager is destined to challenge for football's biggest individual prize.

He told ESPN Brasil: "I have no doubt that he can fight for that title of the Ballon d'Or, or The [FIFA] Best [Award].

"The most important thing, I think, is that he needs to focus on growing, on improving.

"Then those awards will come by themselves, so, the most important thing is that he keeps learning, keeps improving.

"He is a boy who works very well, who is very good, I am sure that all those awards will come and I am convinced that he is a player destined to reach the top of football because he has everything."

Maresca also explained he has been surprised at just how quickly Brazil international Estevao has settled in at Chelsea.

"He surprised us a lot by the way he adapted, he is very young, he is 18 years old," Maresca said.

"I think his family also helps him a lot because his family is very close to him.

"He arrived here where he found Joao Pedro and Andrey Santos, who give him great help.

"We, as staff, coach, club, are doing everything so that he can arrive and adapt. He is a boy whose face shows that he is very happy, very content.

"He wants to play football, last week he said it was a bit cold here, but for us here, it was still warm and we tried to tell him that the cold hadn't arrived yet, but we are very satisfied, we are very happy to have him here with us."