Chelsea wonderkid Cesare Casadei has reminded incoming head coach Mauricio Pochettino that his talents should not be ignored.

Casadei, 20, has been a star for Italy at the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina, scoring seven goals as the Europeans fell short in the final at the hands of Uruguay.

As the talented striker now prepares to return to West London, we take a look at his rise in more detail.

A world of his own

Casadei became Italy's all-time leading scorer at the U-20 World Cup after guiding them to the final for the first time.

He is also now also his country’s top scorer at a single global tournament — a remarkable achievement for the former Reading loanee.

The Golden Boot winner's upturn in form has been astonishing. Casadei netted just once for the Royals this season but his form for Italy may tempt Pochettino into taking a closer look at the talisman in pre-season.

Signed by the Blues from Inter Milan for over £12million last summer, he will be hoping the former Tottenham boss was keeping an eye on events.

Always improving 

Casadei has given an honest reflection on his time in the Championship, where he made 15 appearances in the second half of the season.

He said: "I think I've made progress, I've improved in any aspect in the last year.

"I put all I have in training, I often speak to my coaches asking them what I can add.

"I've found a different reality in the Championship, going from the youth sector to the first team is a big step, it's not easy but it makes you improve.

"I was lucky between Inter and Chelsea, I shared the dressing room with many champions and I try to learn from anyone."

The perfect fit

With Chelsea uncertain about the future of N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount, it would not be surprising to see Casadei make his senior debut for the club sooner rather than later.

The 6ft maestro is composed in possession but regularly takes up positions in the final third, which explains his involvement in almost all of Italy's goals at the U-20 World Cup.

His attacking presence is reminiscent of Frank Lampard, who scored a record 211 times for the Blues. 

Casadei has even hailed the former England international as a better player than Steven Gerrard, Andres Iniesta and Toni Kroos, which is a comment that is sure to go down well with the Stamford Bridge faithful.

The 20-year-old was also a standout performer for the Inter youth team throughout the 2021-22 campaign, making 30 appearances and racking up 18 goal contributions.

Mancini's approval

Italy head coach Roberto Mancini has also weighed in on the developing youth prospect and his future in England.

The Euro 2020 winner will have been watching the U-20 World Cup carefully and could already be making plans to give Casadei a senior call-up.

He said: "Cesare Casadei is really good. He had already impressed me during a stage at Coverciano.

"He went to England and played in the Championship, a tough and formative league, almost like the Premier League.

"If it wasn’t for the U-20 World Cup, he would be playing in the U-21s already."

Casadei's performances in recent weeks provide all the necessary evidence to suggest that Chelsea have a true star on their hands.