After helping Chelsea to a 4-0 FA Cup third-round win against Preston, Mauricio Pochettino highlighted Armando Broja as one of Europe’s most promising young strikers.
The 22-year-old began in place of Nicolas Jackson, who is abroad at the Africa Cup of Nations, and scored his team’s first goal at Stamford Bridge early in the second half.
Preston had done a good job of restraining Chelsea in the first half, despite their dominance of the ball, but Broja’s strike was the first of three in an 11-minute run in the second half.
Mykhailo Mudryk chased Will Keane off the ball inside his own box before laying it back for Malo Gusto to cross and Broja to score.
Thiago Silva added a second before Raheem Sterling smashed a free-kick past goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.
Pochettino lauded Broja, who returned to health in September after missing nine months due to an ACL injury, and hinted that there is more to come from the Albanian striker.
‘It was really significant to him,’ he explained. ‘To be honest, he needs to use this type of game to score, feel the net, and grow. Improve not only his fitness but also his body language. He needs to take a step forward and move. He needs to grin and be more upbeat.
‘The potential is incredible. We’re talking about one of the most promising young strikers in England and Europe. But the problem now is that he needs to push himself, and we’ll try to help him realize that it’s never enough.
‘He was nearly a year gone (hurt), and now he needs time. It is difficult for him to execute at the level we demand. Our expectations are high, and we have complete faith in him. Every day, we’ll urge him to do better.
‘I smiled at him. We always joke about how he needs to grin, laugh, put more good energy inside himself, and be a happier boy.’
Preston manager Lowe looked on a game that fell apart in the second half after a promising start.
‘Three goals in eleven minutes definitely harmed us,’ he said. ‘I thought we were terrific for a huge portion of that game, up until the 58th minute when they scored.