Mauricio Pochettino promised to continue providing academy graduates who demonstrate their ability with a route to the Chelsea first team.

Six players under the age of twenty have received debuts this season under the manager, including defender Levi Colwill, who has represented England at the international level after playing in all but one of Pochettino’s games at Stamford Bridge.

The 19-year-old forward Alex Matos, who made his Premier League debut in October against Fulham, was not used as a substitute during Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Sheffield United. He was signed from Norwich in the summer.

Additionally, 19-year-old defender Diego Moreira, 18-year-old Brazilian striker Deivid Washington, 20-year-old academy graduate Bashir Humphreys, and 20-year-old forward Mason Burstow—who signed with Charlton in 2022—have all made their Chelsea debuts.

The depth of Pochettino’s first-team squad has been put to the test despite a massive £1 billion expenditure on recruits over the last 18 months due to a lengthy injury list that keeps limiting his alternatives.

The manager gave special recognition to Matos and emphasized the significance of keeping young players at the squad in the hope that experienced additions won’t obstruct their way to the starting lineup.

“His (Matos) personality, his character is always so focused,” said Pochettino. “Of course he’s talented with potential. He’s really impressed me with his focus in everything. He’s so smart, watching always everything, always smiling.

“To compete with the first-team players is tough. But he’s really competitive, he’s really strong. He’ll kick you and smile at you.

“It’s nice to have this type of profile. I’m happy with him. There’s some massive talent in the academy in all the different teams.

“After four, five months we’ve had possibility to assess them all, and I think we have many young, talented players that, with time and given the possibility, can reach the level of Chelsea.”

Tuesday’s Carabao Cup quarterfinal between Pochettino’s team and Newcastle is the first title the team is chasing since winning the Champions League in 2021 under former manager Thomas Tuchel.

The manager, who has yet to win a trophy in England after losing to Chelsea in the competition’s final in 2015 while leading Tottenham, emphasized the significance of the match and hinted that there wouldn’t be any significant changes from the victory over the Blades.

Even yet, as he proceeds with his reconstruction of the west London side, youth development continues to be a cornerstone of his worldview.