Mauricio Pochettino has praised Axel Disasi for his contributions to Chelsea since he joined the club over the summer— and insisted the 25-year-old still has plenty to offer.

Disasi moved to Stamford Bridge from AS Monaco after impressing with the French club.

The central defender has been one of the most versatile players under Pochettino, who has deployed him both as a centre back and as a right-back in the absence of Reece James and Malo Gusto.

The Frenchman played all eight of Chelsea’s matches during the month of December, where he showed great leadership and focus, and while Pochettino admires his work ethic, the Argentine coach believes there’s more potential in the player.

“He still has the potential to improve, we are waiting for more, but he’s doing well,” Pochettino said.

“It’s not easy to arrive in the Premier League and perform in a team that is in a process of building. The defensive players always struggle a little bit more than the offensive players in that situation.

“We are happy with him because he can play centre-back but also can help the team at right-back because of injuries, like we’ve had with Reece and Malo. He’s a player we knew and it was a bit lucky, because maybe another coach and coaching staff wouldn’t have known that he can play right-back.

“When we were at Paris Saint-Germain he played one game against us with Monaco when he was on the side of the defence, playing against Kylian Mbappe. We saw that he could perform as a right-back, but he’s a centre-back who I think can play on both sides.

“We are so happy because his adaptation has been really good. He suffered a little bit in the beginning, which is normal, but he’s a player who has the potential to improve more.”