Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has praised Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap ahead of their reunion on Monday.
Delap is a player he has previously worked with at Manchester City’s academy and the Blues boss predicted the 21-year-old could become “an important player for England”.
Delap has been a standout player for Ipswich this season, scoring six goals in his first full Premier League campaign.
The young striker, 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 a year together and he marked [about] 22 to 24 goals. He is a very good striker.
“England have a lot of good players, a lot of good strikers [but] he works hard with and with 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 a year together, he scored 24 goals… it’s a very good goal.”
“He works hard on the ball, with 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 side, 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 moving permanently to Ipswich to secure regular first-team football.
Although Delap is yet to make his senior debut for England, he has represented the country at various youth levels, including 10 appearances for the under-21s, where he scored twice.
Ipswich remain in a battle for survival, 19th in the Premier League and three points from safety, but Delap will hope to gain an advantage over his former manager when they are welcomed back to Portman Road.
