Former Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge has revealed what he thinks Nicolas Jackson needs to do in order to improve as a player.
Jackson scored his fifth Premier League goal of the season in the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday and now has eight goal contributions in eight games at the start of the campaign.
The 23-year-old was heavily criticised for the amount of chances he missed last season, but early evidence has shown his finishing seems to have improved and his goal against Liverpool was really well taken.
Sturridge on what Jackson needs to do to improve
A lot was made of Chelsea’s failure to sign a striker this summer, but Jackson’s start to the season has shown that may not have been a complete disaster.
However, Gary Neville believes the Blues still need to sign a top striker if they are to challenge for the Premier League title in years to come.
Jackson scored 14 league goals last season and is well on the way to bettering that number as he continues his impressive start to life in England.
Sturridge recently described the Senegal international as pivotal to Chelsea’s system and he’s now revealed what he thinks the striker needs to do to improve.
“Repetition for me, and I think, I feel as if we are judging him critically because we are used to teams paying big money, getting finished article in, and we are seeing world-class players walking out, and we are thinking,” he told Sky Sports.
“The model has changed, the way in which teams are winning games has changed. If he is given time, he will improve, but I do believe they will sign a striker, though. I do believe that.”
Jackson has certainly improved and the club clearly believe in him because they rewarded him with a two year contract extension keeping him at Stamford Bridge until 2033.
The Senegalese is likely to find himself on the bench for Thursday’s Conference League game against Panathinaikos, but will be expected to lead the line against Newcastle on Sunday.