Charly Musonda
Musonda, training alongside Eden Hazard, has made two appearances off the bench this season. Getty

KEY POINTS

  • The 20-year-old attacker suggested on Instagram his big day has finally come.
  • Antonio Conte is set to rotate his squad for the visit of the Championship side.

Chelsea starlet Charly Musonda has hinted he will be handed his first starting appearance for the club in their League Cup third-round clash against Nottingham Forest.

Antonio Conte is set to rotate his squad for the visit of the Championship side on Wednesday (20 September) with the Italian coach set to make a number of changes to the side that were held to a goalless draw with Arsenal on Sunday.

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Eden Hazard is expected to start his first match of the season while there will be opportunities for the club's young talents to impose themselves on the first-team with 17-year-old Ethan Ampadu also set to be involved.

Meanwhile, Brazilian starlet Kenedy will be given the opportunity to breathe life into his Stamford Bridge career but a chance for 20-year-old Musonda could prove to be the most exciting for Blues fans after the Belgian suggested on social media he is now counting down the final hours to his first senior start.

"From five years to 24 hours," he wrote on Instagram. "Thanks to everyone at the academy who had a part in developing me, from the head of youth, all the coaches I've had and [the] medical department, to achieve one of my biggest dreams wouldn't be possible without you. I've been lucky to have had such training but more importantly, a better education to be here, thank you."

Musonda, who primarily plays on the left side of attack, joined Chelsea in 2012, progressing through the club's academy in winning a string of honours with the club's burgeoning youth sides, including back-to-back FA Youth Cups and the Uefa Youth League in 2015.

The Belgium Under-21 international enjoyed an excellent loan spell at Real Betis during the second half of the 2015-16 season, his first away from the club, but made just one start for the La Liga side following his return to Spain in the next season, prompting Chelsea to terminate the loan spell in January.

Conte opted against loaning out the youngster again for the second half of last season and was retained this term, training with the first-team with hopes of breaking into the starting XI.

Musonda was given an eight minute run out in the Community Shield clash with Arsenal back in August before coming on for the dying moments of Chelsea's 3-2 defeat to Burnley on the opening day of the season.

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