“He is a really intelligent player” – Noel Whelan identifies Chelsea star who has ‘found his feet now’

Forward Kai Havertz has finally "found his feet" at Chelsea, as per Noel Whelan. The pundit believes manager Thomas Tuchel's tactics suit him and has backed the German to lead the attack for the Blues.

Havertz started up front for Chelsea in their Champions League 2-0 win against Lille and impressed.

He was rewarded with a start in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday against Liverpool, and the German did not disappoint. The Blues, however, ended up on the losing side after penalty shootout.

While speaking with Football Insider, Whelan highlighted that the former Bayer Leverkusen star has done well in recent games and said:

"He's really found his feet now. He's got a manager at the moment whose tactical game really suits him, and I think Tuchel is giving him a lot of confidence with the trust he's put in him."

He added:

"He is a really intelligent player in terms of his creative output – he's had that time in midfield so he can see these passes. He was superb yesterday at finding the right pass. Lukaku has been underwhelming and Havertz has stepped up massively to become that other choice in the striker position."

Havertz played the full game and scored his penalty during the shoot-out. He also scored twice in regulation time but the goals were chalked off for offside.

Thomas Tuchel wants more from Kai Havertz at Chelsea

In a recent press conference, Thomas Tuchel spoke about Havertz and admitted that he needs to do more.

The manager judged the player based on his display on the pitch apart from scoring the goals. He said:

"If we isolate the goalscoring, then yeah, we expect more and he expects more, but the consistency in what he is given to the team, he has stepped up and pretty consistent. We can see a lot of intensity in his game and physicality. He has stepped that up this season, we have seen in training. I think he is in the process of being more reliable and being more consistent. Of course, he is an offensive player and has the ability to score."

Havertz scored the winner for the Blues in the UEFA Champions League final and the Club World Cup. The German is looking to add more goals under his belt and could be playing up front again in the FA Cup this week. They take on Luton Town in the fifth round on Wednesday.