6 Chelsea youngsters pushing Pochettino for first team spot next season

Mauricio Pochettino has got off to an impressive start to life as Chelsea boss, with two wins in as many games during their pre-season tour of the United States.

Chelsea opened the tour with a 5-0 win over Wrexham before beating Brighton 4-3 in the Premier League Summer Series. There are two more games against Newcastle United and Fulham in the series.

Young players like Andrey Santos and Cesare Casadei have impressed in the tour, leaving Pochettino with the headache of who goes on loan and who stays in the first team.

Sports Brief looks at six youngsters who have made a solid push to be part of the squad next season.

1. Levi Colwill

Chelsea have gone out of their means a few times to keep their academy star. They raised the offer for Marc Cucurella last summer so as not to include Colwill in the deal, and their reluctance to include him in the deal for Moises Caicedo is stalling the move. He is set to start next season with Benoit Badiashile injured.

2. Cesare Casadei

The Italian midfielder was poached from Inter Milan last year and spent the second half of the season on loan at Reading. He captained Italy to a second-place finish at the U20 World Cup and was named the tournament's best player and the top scorer. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Leicester City want him on loan, but Poch might reconsider this after his performances in the US.

3. Andrey Santos

The club's bosses saw the Brazilian midfielder as a first-team player, but a work permit denied him a chance in January. He was loaned back to former club Vasco da Gama, but the Evening Standard reports that he has secured his permit before next season. He has impressed in the double pivot role during pre-season games.

4. Angelo Gabriel

The 18-year-old joined from Santos and immediately teamed up with the squad in the US. He has impressed in the first two games, and fans have called for the head coach to retain him to compete with Noni Madueke on the right wing instead of sending him on loan to RC Strasbourg.

5. Ian Maatsen

After watching his team-of-the-season performance on loan at Burnley last year, many fans were displeased that the club signed Cucurella for £62m. He scored twice in the win over Wrexham playing in attack, making him a strong option for the first team next season.

6. Lewis Hall

Last season's academy player of the year, Lewis Hall, has not got much chance in pre-season due to the availability of four left-backs. He is a midfielder by trade, but he handled the full-back role well last season during challenging games against Manchester City. He will likely go on loan because both positions are packed, but he has earned the right to remain.