Ethan Ampadu and David Luiz had just finished their second training session of the day in Perth when they were told about a local boy who idolised Chelsea from afar.
The defensive duo were asked whether they would be interested in meeting Hudson McCarthy, aged just four and a big Luiz fan. ‘Why not?’ said 17-year-old Ampadu.
So off they went to Hudson’s home for a surprise visit, to talk football and make a young man’s day. Seeing the trio sat in his living room, a strange thought occurs.
Ampadu was closer to the age of Hudson than the centre-back he would partner a day later against Perth Glory, securing a clean sheet and winning 1-0.
Sometimes, it is easy to forget this cool and composed central defender is still simply a teenager with stubble above his lip and a head full of dreadlocked hair.
‘The maturity has maybe came from being around the first team at such a young age,’ Ampadu explains. ‘You can still have the banter, have a laugh with them, but then there is the serious side.
‘That helps me mature. That helps me grow as a person. The level-headedness has definitely come from my dad, Kwame. He keeps me grounded. And my mum, Wendy. I feel good.’
And what about Luiz, his fellow wacky-haired defender who has become something of a mentor?
‘He’s helped me a lot,’ Ampadu adds. ‘Even after this game (against Perth), he pulled me over, gave me a quick chat about things, said a couple of words. He’s helped me.
‘He’ll help anyone and everyone, which is good from him. For me, it’s good to be around someone like him, especially being young in the changing room, because I know he’ll definitely help me out.
‘I’d like to get more minutes. I’d like to play some more games. I’m still on my comeback from my injury. It’s just good to be out there back in this shirt. Hopefully if I keep working, keep training hard, I’ll get my chances.’
His next opportunity to impress Sarri is set to follow against Inter Milan in Nice on Sunday, when he will likely feature alongside 31-year-old Luiz again. It really has been some journey.
Ampadu has gone from slugging away with Exeter in League Two to starting Maurizio Sarri’s first match in charge of Chelsea in Perth. Most players would be pinching themselves to make that sort of transition, no matter what age.
Not this ambitious teenager, though. Ask Ampadu what it feels like to have made it to the top, and he will have none of it. Why? Because he hasn’t made it there yet.
Only once he is featuring week in, week out in the Premier League will he answer that question.
'I don’t think about it,’ says Ampadu, who appeared 12 times last season before suffering a serious ankle injury, ruling him out until the summer. ‘I haven’t done a lot. I’m still working towards that.
‘It was difficult (getting injured). It was disappointing. You’ve just got to be positive about every situation. You have to think ahead. You have to think, “I’ll come back fitter, better, stronger”. Stuff like that. You have to look forward.’
Sarri has spoken with Ampadu about what he wants next season. The new boss is after a defender who knows how to distribute the ball, which suits this starlet down to the ground.
‘I like playing with the football,’ says Ampadu, who has won two caps for Wales so far. ‘I like passing it. We do that. For me, I like being a ball-playing centre-half.
‘They’re good ideas (from Sarri). He’s very good tactically, which everyone knows. Pre-season has been good. We’ve been working on that every day for us to get used to him, him to get used to us, so we can reflect that on the pitch.’
After defeating Perth in front of 55,000 fans on Monday, Ampadu was told four-year-old Hudson was given special permission to stay up past his bedtime to attend.
Rather than head inside for a shower, the starlet went to find the young fan and his family, to ask whether they had fun.
Born in 2000, he does not turn 18 until September but Ampadu is already someone showing maturity beyond his years. With Luiz as a mentor, he feels he can go far.