Chelsea coach explains why he substituted Hudson-Odoi in Watford win

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has revealed that his substitution of Ghanaian kid Callum Hudson-Odoi against Watford was due to injury and not tactical reasons.

Hudson-Odoi, 18, was introduced during the latter stages of the first half after an injury to Pedro, but the academy graduate did not last the game with Emerson Palmieri replacing the youngster with five minutes remaining.

The change came with Watford beginning to get on top, but the Italian gaffer has moved to justify the alteration with Hudson-Odoi already carrying a fitness issue.

Sarri is quoted by Metro as saying: “We don’t know how much Pedro is injured, we will evaluate tomorrow.

“That is the same problem with Callum Hudson-Odoi. He had a little injury a few days ago, yesterday it was good and he managed 50 to 55 minutes. We thought it was better to substitute him.”

Odoi is the son of former Accra Hearts of Oak and Ghana player Bismark Odoi. Hudson-Odoi’s elder brother Bradley Odoi played for the Ghana U20 side.