A Chelsea loan star, who was exiled from the first-team by Enzo Maresca, enjoyed a ‘sensationally good’ debut for his new club.
On Saturday evening, Chelsea capitulated at Aston Villa, losing 2-1 and dropping to seventh in the Premier League as their poor form continued.
At the same time, Borussia Dortmund thrashed Union Berlin 6-0 to give new manager Niko Kovac his first win in the Bundesliga.
In the 69th minute, Carney Chukwuemeka came off the bench to make his league debut for the German side and made an instant impact, helping his teammates score four goals in 14 minutes to complete the rout.
Chukwuemeka joined Dortmund on loan from Chelsea on January deadline day but was forced to wait for his debut after picking up an injury in training.
The midfielder moved from Villa to Stamford Bridge in 2022 but it has turned out to be an ill-fated transfer, with the £20million signing struggling for game time.
Maresca bluntly told the Englishman that he would struggle for minutes this season and sure enough he made just five appearances and only one start, before securing his loan move.
Chelsea may now be regretting their treatment of the 21-year-old, with Kovac full of praise for Chukwuemeka, who nearly got an assist with his first touch for Dortmund.
The Croatian manager said: ‘Carney came in and was sensationally good. We saw what skills he has and the way he takes possession of the ball and how quickly he turns and carries forward.
‘That’s really unique. He has really good acceleration and technique. He’ll bring us joy if he stays healthy.’
‘He obviously lacks a bit of rhythm because he hasn’t played for a long time,’ Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl added.
‘But you could see in one or two situations today that he is a player who is a lot of fun, who has good timing, who moves well between the lines and has good control.’
Of course, Chukwuemeka could come back to Chelsea and become a key player under Maresca, but Dortmund have the option to make the loan permanent for £40m in the summer and if he fulfils his potential that could certainly happen.
‘I loved playing in front of 80,000 fans,’ a delighted Chukwuemeka said following his Bundesliga debut.
‘I just wanted to play my game and help the team. We played really directly and precisely in the final third. Hopefully we can build on this performance.’
The England youth start will have another chance to impress when Dortmund travel to FC St. Pauli on Saturday.
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