Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has praised Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap ahead of their reunion on Monday.
Delap is a player he previously worked with at Manchester City’s academy and the Blues boss has predicted that the 21-year-old could become “an important player for England.”
Delap has been a standout performer for Ipswich this season, netting six goals in his first full Premier League campaign.
The young forward, who is the son of former Premier League star Rory Delap, joined Ipswich in the summer in a deal worth up to £20 million after leaving Manchester City’s academy.
Reflecting on his time coaching Delap, Maresca said: “Liam is a fantastic player, and also for his age. I think we spent one year together, and he scored [about] 22 to 24 goals. He is a very good striker.
“England have many good players, many good strikers [but] he’s working hard off the ball and on the ball, understands the game and can score goals. I think he can be an important player for England.”
🚨👀 Enzo Maresca: “Liam Delap is a fantastic player”.
“We spent one year together, he scored 24 goals… this is a very good strike”.
“He works hard off the ball, on the ball, he understands the game and he can score goals. He can be an important player for England”. pic.twitter.com/ILXHuXr7qt
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 27, 2024
During his time with City’s Under-21 team, Delap was prolific, scoring an incredible 35 goals in just 36 appearances.
He also gained valuable experience with loan spells at Stoke City, Preston North End, and Hull City in the Championship before making the permanent move to Ipswich to secure regular first-team football.
Though Delap has yet to make his senior debut for England, he has represented the nation at various youth levels, including 10 appearances for the Under-21s, where he has scored twice.
Ipswich remain in a battle for survival, sitting 19th in the Premier League and three points away from safety but Delap will be hoping to get one over on his former coach when he is welcomed to Portman Road.
