Chelsea’s Andre Schürrle still has a lot to learn, says Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has warned Chelsea’s Andre Schürrle that he still has much to learn in order to fulfill his potential.

The Chelsea manager handed the 22-year-old his first big test in the Premier League by selecting the German to lead the front-line in a goalless draw against Manchester United at
Old Trafford on Monday night.

Schürrle, who joined in a £18m deal from Bayer Leverkusen in June after Mourinho’s appointment, showed glimpses of his promise against the defending champions before being replaced by Cesar Azpilicueta on the stroke of full-time.

And although Mourinho recognises the midfielder’s prodigious talent, the Chelsea manager feels Schürrle – like Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Oscar – still has some way to go in his development before becoming the finished product.

“He’s one of the young talents we have,” Mourinho told a news conference in Prague on Thursday.

“For example against Manchester United we played with four attacking players: Andre, De Bruyne, Hazard and Oscar, all of them under 22 years old.

“So we are speaking about kids. He’s one of them and we have more. He’s a kid that needs to be better, needs to learn, needs to use every minute in the pitch, every minute of the training sessions to be better and better.

“The Premier League is a different competition – a special competition – and he needs a bit of time to adapt. We know he’s one of the important talents in Germany, in European football.”

Meanwhile, Schürrle insists he is unfazed by the arrival of Brazil international Willian despite facing even more competition for places at the west London side.

“I think we have a good squad,” said Schürrle. “We need a big squad for the season because we have so many games and so many competitions.

“We need a big squad with a lot of quality. For every player this good. When there are many players, you have to give your best in every training session.

“It’s only a positive for the team.”