Gary Lineker has hailed Chelsea centre-back Wesley Fofana as a very special player after he scored the winner in Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Leeds United on Saturday.

Much was expected of Fofana after he completed a £70m move from Leicester City last summer but the 21-year-old has struggled with injury during his stint at Stamford Bridge.

“I said to some friends of mine who support Chelsea, you don’t know how good this kid is yet,” Lineker said on BBC’s Match of the Day.

“He’s been injured the whole time at Chelsea basically. But he’s very special.”

Ex-England midfielder Danny Murphy added: “He’s a tremendous player, Fofana. He just pipped Ben Chilwell to the Man of the Match award for me.

“His passing is excellent. He’s comfortable on the ball and he’s a threat in both boxes. It’s crucial timing for Chelsea as well with Thiago Silva out for a few weeks.”