Chelsea Youngster Awaiting Mourinho Talks Over First Team Opportunities

Chelsea youngster Josh McEachran will meet with manager Jose Mourinho to seek assurances over his opportunities this season.

The England Under-21 international has spent successive campaigns on loan at Swansea City and Middlesbrough since making his Blues debut in 2010.

The club's tendency to raid the transfer market ahead of promoting players from the academy has led to the likes of McEachran seeking temporary spells away from Stamford Bridge.

But the 20 year old has spoken of his renewed desire to break firmly into the Chelsea reckoning and expects to be given a clearer picture surrounding his involvement this season following a meeting with Mourinho during the club's pre-season tour.

"I'm a Chelsea player and my dream as a kid was to play for Chelsea, so I want to play for them this season," McEachran told Sky Sports News.

"But if the boss wants me to go out on loan I'll have to listen to him and go out. It's down to him.

"He said he would speak to me while we were in Asia so I'll wait for then.

"Hopefully it would be to a Premier League team, but I wouldn't mind going to a Championship team either."

During his first spell at Chelsea Mourinho gained a reputation for marginalising the club's younger players and instead preferring to sign players to bolster the first team squad, a status he only worked to enhance during his three-year tenure at Real Madrid.

However, Mourinho has already stated that both Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne, both of whom were loaned to West Bromwich Albion and Werder Bremen respectively last term, are in his first team plans this season - a significant indication that he is ready to given youth a chance in his second spell in west London.