Chelsea academy stars Reggie Walsh and Chizaram Ezenwata have both trained with the first-team ahead of Thursday's clash with Tottenham. The pair are regulars in Hassan Sulaiman's Under-18 side and have impressed this season.
Both players are still only 16 but have already begun their Under-21 careers, featuring in the Premier League 2 (PL2). Their primary team are set to play Reading Under-18s on Tuesday night.
Should Walsh and Ezenwata not be involved then it could point towards a potential place in the matchday squad for the men's team at Stamford Bridge later in the week. It is not uncommon for academy players to play twice in two days, either.
The Under-21s, managed by Felipe Coelho, do not play until Friday when they host Aston Villa at Kingsmeadow. That comes just three days before Enzo Maresca takes his squad to Brentford.
Walsh, unlike Ezenwata, has already been named as a substitute for the senior team. He was unused during the Conference League last-16 second leg at home to FC Copenhagen.
If Walsh had come then he would have been the second youngest ever player to make an appearance in club history. In the unlikely event that he plays against Tottenham he would still become the third youngest.
Walsh is a midfielder and has already started to represent England at Under-17 level. He has scored twice in the Under-18 Premier League despite starting the season as a 15-year-old. He also scored two in three matches during the FA Youth Cup run.
Ezenwata is perhaps the more eye-catching player as an attacker. He has 10 goals for the season in the Under-18 Premier League and managed another in the Youth Cup as well.
Like Walsh, Ezenwata started the season as a 15-year-old but hit the ground running with a goal and has scored seven in his last five games. He managed two in a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in March.
Maresca has used academy players in training throughout the season, also using the Conference League as a chance to grant some with exposure to a first team matchday environment. Here, they can be seen walking out at Cobham alongside Reece James, Cole Palmer, and Tosin Adarabioyo.
Last week the academy landed a brutal blow to their senior counterparts, winning a game 3-0 against those who did not get called up for the international break. The result saw Maresca cancel a day off for the squad before players returned from their travels.
Chelsea have since seen Palmer, Noni Madueke, and Nicolas Jackson back in full training after periods out with injury. They will hope to be available against Tottenham.
Maresca knows that his team could start the evening seventh in the table if their rivals are victorious on Tuesday and Wednesday night. On the other hand, a win could see them strengthen their position in fourth with a potential gap opening up to five points over Newcastle United and Brighton.
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