Chelsea are starting to reap the rewards from their youth development program.

Nearly 11 years after joining Chelsea, midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah finally made his full 90-minute debut at home for The Blues in the FA Cup, a truly significant turning point for a generation of young players who often struggled to find a place at Stamford Bridge.

"Unbelievable" - that's how one could describe Chalobah's extraordinary experience, because just six months ago, he never dared to dream this would become a reality. Chelsea has long been famous for its loan system. But things seem to be changing. Chalobah has started in the Blues' first team, and Nathan Ake has recently been recalled by manager Antonio Conte after a stint at Reading, Watford, and Bournemouth.

Previously, Chelsea's young talents lacked opportunities to gain experience, forcing them to leave and seek new clubs to salvage their careers. However, Conte has significantly improved their hopes of staying. In the 2015/16 season, Thibaut Courtois and Bertrand Traore were the only two players ever loaned out to play in the first team. In the 2016/17 season, Chalobah, Victor Moses, and soon Ake have joined this ranks.

The 22-year-old midfielder Chalobah had an outstanding game alongside Cesc Fabregas in the FA Cup match against Peterborough. Chalobah's shot led to Pedro's opening goal. After the match, Conte was extremely pleased, and with Chalobah, the Italian strategist now has more options in midfield, alongside key players like N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic.

Ake has returned from Bournemouth.

Meanwhile, Ake's return is also a big step forward. It was thought the Dutch defender would only return after the 2016/17 season ended, but Conte immediately recalled Ake after his impressive performances for Bournemouth. At Dean Court, despite only starting 8 games, Ake scored 3 goals – an excellent number for a defender.

It remains to be seen whether Ake will get much playing time upon his return to Chelsea, but this is clearly a very positive sign for young players who are frequently loaned out. After Ake, young defender Andreas Christensen is certain to wear the Chelsea shirt from the 2017/18 season after 24 months of proving his worth at M'Gladbach.

The massive return of young talents has shown positive changes in Chelsea's training methods, and 2017 will be the year Conte begins to reap the rewards.

According to bongdaplus