Andre Villas-Boas has revealed that he expects a handful of the club’s youngsters to break into Chelsea's first team.

The 33-year-old Blues boss, who inherited an ageing side when he arrived at Stamford Bridge from Porto this summer, is urging the younger players of the squad to show their worth.

"For all these young boys, the biggest step they have to do as they finish their reserve-team time is to make the step to the first team," FIFA.com quotes Villas-Boas as saying.

"We can look into the future with a couple of them making the step straight into the first team without having to go out on loan."

While Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard share the same age as their manager, Villas-Boas is confident that they can continue to challenge for honours.

"The squad is one of the oldest in the Premiership," he added. "We respect them and are happy enough with the quality that we have to challenge for the title. But we are also looking in the future."

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Josh McEachran and Ryan Bertrand, 21, signed new deals with the former Premier League champions earlier this month.