Nicolas Jackson's former boss Unai Emery has explained why he isn't surprised that the Senegalese star is thriving at Chelsea. Jackson has scored 24 goals, including seven this season, and registered nine assists in 57 games for the Blues since arriving from Villarreal last summer.
Emery handed the striker his first-team debut at Villarreal in 2021, and the two will meet again on Sunday when Chelsea meet Emery's Aston Villa in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking with Sky Sports ahead of the match, the Spanish manager, who left Villarreal to take charge of Villa in 2022, recalled his experiences of working with Jackson at the Estadio de la Cerámica, describing his attitude as "fantastic."
"He was always learning," Emery remembered. "He was always demanding to train more, to be focused. He was also being a professional every day out of training sessions at home because he was focused on football like the first priority in his life."
On Jackson's time so far at Chelsea, the 53-year-old coach said: "Last year he was adapting so quick, but he was progressively getting better, sometimes without the performance, and now he is showing."
"I'm very happy for him," he stated. "But of course hopefully on Sunday he is not performing in his best way!"
Maresca on Jackson: "He’s doing very well"
Emery isn't the only person to have spoken highly of Jackson in recent days.
Earlier this week, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca also heaped praise on the Senegal international, who cost the Blues £32 million.
"He is doing very well with us," Maresca said. "Since we started, he has been open minded in what we ask him, and sometimes we require different things from him."
"He’s has an open mind and wants to learn and he’s doing very well, not just in goals and assists, but also the way he works off the ball," he added. "The way he presses, he is always aggressive and we are very happy."
The Italian coach did, however, suggest that Jackson needs to improve his finishing, despite him having scored seven goals in 12 Premier League games this term.
"He is already good, good enough for us, but like all players, there are many things he can do better," he said. "This season he’s had one-on-one chances he has missed. That can happen, but he can improve that area."
Maresca added: "He can [also] be a bit more brave on the ball when we need to link with him but overall there are many areas he’s already improved a lot."
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