Andreas Christensen to step into the breach left by David Luiz - starting tonight.

Andreas Christensen could not have wished for a better start to life under Antonio Conte back at Chelsea and is now in prime position to replace the suspended Brazilian in the heart of our back three. 

There was plenty made of Andreas Christensen's move to Borussia Moenchengladbach for the past two seasons on loan. As usual there were those that believed the move to be a positive step and those that thought the opposite. Two years on and he has come back to Chelsea an accomplished defender with a cool, calm head on his shoulders.

John Terry spoke of Christensen before he left the club back in the summer and paid him a glowing compliment. He said:

“Andreas is a very good player. He has backed himself to go out on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach and has played a lot of games for the past two years. He has also played Champions League football and that can serve him well. 

As young players there are always questions against you. Can you do it in the Premier League? Can you do it in the Champions League? But he’s gone out and done it in Germany. 

He has a lot of experience when you compare him to another centre-half at his age. The loan has worked out very well and I encourage a lot more players to go out and do that.” - Source: London Evening Standard.

So to the player himself who is expected to start tonight in the middle of our back three in place of the suspended David Luiz. What a start it has been for him at the club under the manager who also reportedly spoke of him in glowing terms after a few days of pre-season training. In America, Conte claimed that Christensen "was even better as a player watching him in person than he was on TV".

He played against Tottenham at Wembley to fill in for Gary Cahill when he was suspended and did well to keep Harry Kane subdued. He has also been involved in different games when called upon but has already done more than enough to earn his place in the team starting with Nottingham Forest tonight, Stoke at the weekend, followed by Manchester City in two weeks time.

He is very understated, plays with no fuss, just works hard, remains calm and composed defending his position extremely well. He's good with the ball at his feet and isn't someone who panics in possession and put under pressure. However, it's his positional sense that is really, really impressive at such a young age.

From a summer of uncertainty for Andreas Christensen preparing himself to return to his parent club with a new manager at the helm who had just led the club to it's fifth Premier League title and second in three seasons, to now find himself in the first team with trust in his quality from that very same manager, this is a massive chance for him to really stake a claim for a regular first team place!