Defender Cesar Azpilicueta has said that both Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham deserved their place in the Chelsea starting lineup against Manchester United.
Despite creating a number of opportunities at Old Trafford, the Blues succumbed to a heavy 4-0 defeat at the hands of one of their Premier League rivals.
Former manager Jose Mourinho criticised newly-appointed boss Frank Lampard for naming too many youngsters in his team, even though both Mount and Abraham gave good accounts of themselves in the match.
However, Azpilicueta has dismissed Mourinho's claims, insisting that the pair had earned their chance in Sunday afternoon's fixture.
The right-back is quoted by The Telegraph as saying: "If they are here it is because they deserve to be. They are fighting in every training session. We trust in them.
"All the boys, they train to play for the Chelsea first team since they were young and now we have a massive opportunity to create a fantastic group, to learn from every game. Obviously everyone would like to start in a better way but we have to face the reality and become stronger from it."
Chelsea are next in action when they take on Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup final on Wednesday night.
Darren Plant
