Mourinho backs his man!

Juan Cuadrado hasn't exactly set the world alight with his performances in the Premier League ever since he sealed a move to Chelsea from Fiorentina last January. With speculation rife over his long term future at the club, Jose Mourinho has been quick to play down reports and has backed the Colombian.

Speaking recently he said:

"In the four or five months that he has been with us, he had to make an adaptation that is not easy, And he became a [Premier League] champion, won a cup [Capital One Cup], and that will always be in his career.

He has suffered, and that is normal -- it is one thing to play in Italy and another to play in England -- and it is not easy to arrive in January to a team that is winning and playing well, and adapt to a different system: Fiorentina played with five defenders, while we play with four.

People haven't yet seen Cuadrado. I saw him in Italy, at Udinese, when I was at Inter. I saw him play many times and he is a guy I have high hopes for for next season.

I hope that at the Copa America he can boost his self-esteem, his ego, and find that joy of playing."

Mourinho is right, everyone needs time to settle down especially those players that come from other European Leagues. You just have to look at how well Mo Salah performed for Fiorentina in Serie A which is a much slower style of football compared to the Premier League.

The comments from Mourinho should give him a huge lift as he heads into the Copa America. Hopefully, he has a successful tournament there and comes back to Chelsea raring to go next season.