Chelsea striker Timo Werner has described teammate Kai Havertz as "one of the most talented players in the whole world" and warned that he is only going to keep getting better.
Werner, 24, and 21-year-old Havertz both joined Chelsea in the summer as part of an expensive recruitment drive by the Premier League club.
The Germany teammates have quickly established themselves as regular starters in Frank Lampard's team: Werner has been involved in eight goals (five scored, three assisted) in 10 games in all competitions, while Havertz has found the net four times and created three assists in the same number of games.
However, some critics have claimed Havertz's contribution so far could have been greater, particularly when considering his goalscoring form for previous club Bayer Leverkusen – he scored 29 Bundesliga goals in the past two seasons – and his €80 million ($93.4m) transfer fee.
Havertz's modest goal return – three were scored against Barnsley in the League Cup – can be put down to his deployment in midfield instead of being used in his preferred No 10 position, as well as the customary adjustment period of moving to a new club and country.
As a player who knows Havertz well, Werner has no doubts about his colleague's quality and is convinced much more is yet to come.
"I know Kai very well and he is one of the most talented players in the whole world," Werner said ahead of Chelsea's Champions League match against Rennes. "He is a young boy, just 21 years old, and he can learn a lot but he already plays like a much older player.
"We talk a lot about settling in and he’s very happy to be here. In a lot of games, he has shown his strengths and what he can bring to the team.
"For Kai, it’s very important to score but you can see in his game more than just goals – key passes and the movement he makes for other players. He is very talented and he will get better and better every game."
As for his own start to life at Chelsea, Werner said he is satisfied with his performances and believes he and the team will continue to improve as the season progresses.
"The first 10 games for Chelsea have been really good for me," said the €53m summer signing from RB Leipzig. "We have a good team and you can see that now everyone is fit and out of quarantine and injuries.
"We have played and trained together for two months now and we’re becoming a very good team. If the next games continue like this, it would be perfect."
