Take a look at Vitesse Arnhem"s squad and you"ll see a large chunk, five to be exact aren"t really Vitesse players at all. They are in fact all on loan from Premier League champions Chelsea, this may be a for a multitude of reasons but increased playing time is what"s crowed by both player and the club as they embark on their latest escapade of their career.
However, in this case Jose Mourinho and the Chelsea hierachy have decided to keep a young player in their ranks. He is raw and untested 19 years old looking to make the step up after showing signs of promise for Fluminense – perfect age for a season abroad of fun and frolics in the Balearic Islands. But Mourinho didn’t even want him to try his luck in the municipality of Arnhem.
The young Brazilian even made his debut in August, coming on for Cesar Azpilicueta as Chelsea looked for an equaliser in their 2-1 loss over Crystal Palace before the international break. Albeit filling in at left back at times as he tried to make forays up the left wing.
He spent the international break losing to France 2-1 as the Brazil U23"s start preparing for next summers Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Kenedy started on the right, donning the number seven shirt making fleeting highlight-worthy runs.
The teenager came out and spoke about his season so far;
“(When [Mourinho] called me) in my mind he was just playing. Being in a big club like Chelsea is a childhood dream, playing with great players like Ramires, Oscar, Diego Costa, Willian… They received me very well."
“I did my part, which was working hard in the pre-season. I showed how good I was. I think it all comes from you. If you want something, you have to go after it. That"s it. When I got the opportunity, I took advantage and got in the squad.
Whether Mourinho bringing on both Kenedy and Reuben Loftus-Cheek in the game against Crystal Palace is a sign of unrest at the lack of depth in his squad or he is finally trying to implement some kind of youth policy at the club after years of spending is remained to be seen. However not including the duo for the match against Everton would be sending out too many mixed messages especially with their enthusiasm and drive being a refreshing change and could prove to be an important wildcard as the season continues.
As for Kenedy, he said during the international break that his thoughts are firmly on making the Olympic squad in his home country and admitted that Europe, with all it"s tactical play and discipline will only help fine-tune his game;
“Brazilian players have a lot of quality. You have to work. It is about working and waiting for the opportunity. I have a year to work [before the 2016 Summer Olympics]. I have a lot to learn in Europe: tactical play, marking, speed. I think you can evolve more and keep learning day-to-day."
He will hope Mourinho doesn"t go back on his word and especially with the team competing on four fronts again this season that he will get his fair share of opportunities to show that the club were right to keep him under their wing.
