Zouma downplays Desailly comparison



With Nemanja Matic suspended, Mourinho selected defender Zouma in midfield for his 17th Chelsea appearance and the 20-year-old Frenchman did not look out of place in the 2-0 Wembley defeat of Tottenham.

That brought further comparisons to his compatriot Desailly, who played 222 times for Chelsea, and was comfortable in both defence and midfield.

"That is a lovely thing, what the boss said," Zouma said.

"(But) it is too early to say that because Marcel Desailly is a legend of Chelsea.

"I have only played about 10 games and I am 20 years old

I loved to watch him play

He was an amazing performer and important for us.

"I have to keep working hard

I have to improve every day.

"I have never met Marcel Desailly but one day I hope I will see him."

Zouma signed for Chelsea from St Etienne for a reported £12million fee in January 2014, but spent the remainder of that season on loan with the Ligue 1 club before joining up with the Blues first team last summer.

The centre-back, who scored on his debut in the League Cup against Bolton in September, was happy to play in midfield and do a job for the team.

"When I signed for Chelsea I knew that we had to play in some big games, some finals," Zouma added.

"But I never dreamed that I would be playing in the middle in midfield.

"The manager told me two days before the game that I was going to play there

That was very exciting because then I knew I would be playing in a final at Wembley."

Zouma trained in the position "a bit, not too much".

"It was enough for me to play there," he added.

"I am a centre-back but if the manager said to me that I have to play centre-back, left-back, striker or keeper I would play there because I want to help the team.

"The most important thing was that we won the title

Everyone is happy."

Source : PA

Source: PA