Xabi Alonso described Joao Pedro as ‘very hungry’ after Chelsea’s striker scored a nine-minute hat-trick in Sydney, having been left at home by Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti for the World Cup.
The 24-year-old was surprisingly ignored by Ancelotti this summer, and in a friendly win over Western Sydney Wanderers, he replaced Liam Delap while his side were trailing 3-2.
Joao Pedro assisted Jamie Gittens for the equaliser before scoring three times himself for a 6-4 victory.
‘He is very hungry,’ Alonso said when asked about Joao Pedro being snubbed by Brazil. ‘Joao is really, really determined to have a great season. He wants to keep scoring more and more.
‘We need to help him. On his own it’s not possible. He will have the players around him. It’s not just about the striker, but every time we win and our striker scores, I am happy.’
On Delap, who could leave this summer to make way for Danny Welbeck, the 35-year-old at Brighton who Daily Mail Sport revealed is a transfer target, Alonso added: ‘I see him in a good mood, in a good desire to get proper fitness, proper football, feeling good, and he’s doing well.’
Joao Pedro scored a hat-trick as Chelsea beat Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4 in pre-season
Blues boss Xabi Alonso said the striker is ‘very hungry’ after missing the World Cup with Brazil
Asked about wanting to add experience, with Chelsea looking at Welbeck and Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson, 36, Alonso said: ‘Everyone has to learn. Everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are young, if you are more experienced, this is what happens in the game.
‘This is a quality as well that you need. You can be quick. You can be good at dribbling. But you can have this game intelligence to do the things and from everything we need to be quick because the competition is in just almost a month and we want to get ready for that.
‘We want to have a complete squad and we want to make a good team. For that we have an idea, we have a plan, and let’s see how we set it up until the start of the Premier League.’
Asked specifically about Welbeck, Alonso said: ‘No comment.’
Romeo Lavia received no minutes in this friendly because of a minor hamstring issue. In his place, 16-year-old Reggie Watson was the only player to complete a full 90 for Chelsea, and the son of former Crystal Palace and Wigan footballer Ben impressed in the centre.
As did Dastan Satpayev, the 17-year-old who arrived this summer from Kazakhstan side FC Kairat. ‘He is really strong, really quick, and you will be really impressed with him,’ Alonso said.
