Photo: Werner100359 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Chelsea Academy midfielder Reggie Walsh has described the club's pre-season tour as an invaluable learning experience, having already made his first-team debut and featured in the Champions League within the past 18 months.
Walsh, who grew up a short walk from Stamford Bridge, made his Chelsea debut before returning to school the following morning. "The game was at 8pm, as it was a Thursday night, and then I was in class on the Friday," he said. "Thankfully they let me come in later, around midday, so I could catch up on some sleep."
The young midfielder also appeared in the Champions League last season against Ajax. "It was such a surreal moment, as I'd grown up watching it on TV," he said.
The tour has taken Walsh to Sydney and Hong Kong as part of the travelling senior squad. He described the training under the new Chelsea manager as intense, praising the way the head coach carries himself both as a manager and as a person.
"He's the same as a manager as he was as a player," Walsh said. "The way he carries himself, even as a person too, is really good and something I look up to."
Walsh said the opportunity to train and spend time around senior players has been central to his development. "It's been good to see what the top players do, and how I can implement those habits and characteristics into my game," he added.
"I'm just so grateful to be a part of the group," Walsh said. "I grew up just a few minutes' walk from Stamford Bridge and all my family are Chelsea fans. To play for your club is a dream come true and I just want more of that."