Despite being one of Chelsea's more senior players at Crystal Palace on Saturday, Daniel Sturridge remains a relative youngster in the first team squad.
The 20-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge a year ago after leaving Manchester City, and has made steady progress in that time, picking up the first medals of his professional career.
As he explained to the Official Chelsea Website, merely being in the presence of some of his team-mates has aided his development.
'I think all the players have helped me, in some way or another. They all give their input, and the little things that you need to hear,' said the forward.
'It helps a lot, we have a lot of world-class players here, and they always will help the younger players progress in every way possible. This is a good club to learn things off the bigger players.
'As time goes on, those things you learn go into your game, and you end up becoming a better player just off natural instinct. Just training with these players makes you a better player, and the skills that you learn are a huge bonus on the field.'
Now he hopes to put into practice on a regular basis what he has picked up over the past 12 months, and he feels he is not alone in knocking on the door for a regular place. An early pre-season with our World Cup players missing is the perfect opportunity to impress Carlo Ancelotti, who fielded only six players aged 21 or over against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
'Hopefully, now is the time for me to step up and show what I've learned from last season, and to show everyone what I can do,' Sturridge said.
'We have a load of good, young players - Jeffrey Bruma, Patrick van Aanholt, Gael Kakuta - that can step in, they just need an opportunity.
'They need a lot of patience, also, in actually getting into the team, because it's not easy. Now is just one of those situations where a lot of players get their chance, and they're all working very hard. We've got a lot of players here that can make the grade, and all the young players should get an opportunity to show that.'
The 20-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge a year ago after leaving Manchester City, and has made steady progress in that time, picking up the first medals of his professional career.
As he explained to the Official Chelsea Website, merely being in the presence of some of his team-mates has aided his development.
'I think all the players have helped me, in some way or another. They all give their input, and the little things that you need to hear,' said the forward.
'It helps a lot, we have a lot of world-class players here, and they always will help the younger players progress in every way possible. This is a good club to learn things off the bigger players.
'As time goes on, those things you learn go into your game, and you end up becoming a better player just off natural instinct. Just training with these players makes you a better player, and the skills that you learn are a huge bonus on the field.'
Now he hopes to put into practice on a regular basis what he has picked up over the past 12 months, and he feels he is not alone in knocking on the door for a regular place. An early pre-season with our World Cup players missing is the perfect opportunity to impress Carlo Ancelotti, who fielded only six players aged 21 or over against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
'Hopefully, now is the time for me to step up and show what I've learned from last season, and to show everyone what I can do,' Sturridge said.
'We have a load of good, young players - Jeffrey Bruma, Patrick van Aanholt, Gael Kakuta - that can step in, they just need an opportunity.
'They need a lot of patience, also, in actually getting into the team, because it's not easy. Now is just one of those situations where a lot of players get their chance, and they're all working very hard. We've got a lot of players here that can make the grade, and all the young players should get an opportunity to show that.'
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