Tyrique George has revealed his delight at how he handled the responsibility of making his Chelsea debut against Wrexham on Wednesday night.
Previous head coach Mauricio Pochettino handed opportunities to an array of academy players during his one-year reign, many of whom will have only benefited from the experience.
However, despite being regarded as one of the club's top prospects, 18-year-old George remained in the youth setup while the Argentine was in charge.
Nevertheless, a return of nine goals and six assists in 13 U18 Premier League fixtures and contributing three goals in three Premier League 2 playoffs outings was enough to convince Maresca to include the teenager on Chelsea's pre-season tour of the United States.
With a 28-player squad having been named, the expectation was that George's minutes would be few and far between, but he was thrown into the limelight with a start against Wrexham in California.
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George makes positive impression
George was deployed on the left-hand side with Maresca going with a back three; he was largely used in an attacking sense, but was required to fulfil defensive responsibilities during the first half.
Chelsea were leading 1-0 before George was one of 10 players to be withdrawn at half time, with the England Under-18 international justified in feeling satisfied with how his first-ever senior outing for his boyhood club played out.
Speaking to the club's official website, he said: "I was very excited and this is another big step in my career. It was such a good experience. There are so many kids out there who dream of a moment like this, playing with players you would be on EA FC. It was incredible.
"And I thought I handled myself quite well out there. I tried to make things happen and it felt so good to be out there.
"The biggest difference in playing for the first team compared to the Under-21s or the Under-18s is the general intensity of the game. It was all a bit quicker. It is fair to say the full-backs were a bit more physical than I am used to as they are obviously grown men but I thought I handled it all well.
"I think my confidence grew as I got more into the game and I got more used to the opposition full-back and what the other players on my team were going to do."
On Maresca, he added: "[Enzo Maresca] has also given me a lot of confidence to go and play my own game. I have really enjoyed playing under him so far.
"I hope I can make an impact with the first team during the rest of the tour and then into the new season."
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What next for George and Chelsea?
Despite the Wrexham game representing a step up for George, there is far more work ahead given the level of opposition that Chelsea face throughout the remainder of their United States tour.
Celtic are to come on Saturday evening, before the West Londoners square off against the likes of Club America, Manchester City and Real Madrid.
If George is presented with plenty of minutes during those fixtures, it may be an indication that Maresca plans to keep him in the first-team squad for 2024-25.
The club may feel that is an important step given the current situations involving Trevoh Chalobah and Conor Gallagher; there has been discontent over both homegrown players seemingly being forced out, theoretically leaving the powers-that-be at Stamford Bridge to introduce fresh blood into the senior side.
Darren Plant
