Jorrel Hato makes honest admission about his limited game time at Chelsea

Chelsea defender Jorrel Hato has candidly acknowledged that he must raise his level to earn a regular place in the starting XI, though he insists he is content with his early-season role at Stamford Bridge.

The 19-year-old Netherlands international has made only four Premier League starts since arriving from Ajax, where he had been a fixture in the lineup for the previous two campaigns. In west London he has largely served as understudy to Marc Cucurella, featuring predominantly in domestic cup ties.

Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal marked Hato’s fourth league start of the campaign, and the left-back used the club’s in-house media channels to reflect on his adaptation period.

“I’m happy, of course,” Hato said. “I came here this season. A big step, if you compare the Premier League with the Dutch league. I’m not playing every game, but I know I’m improving every day to get the minutes that I want. I know I have to improve for myself as well to get more minutes, but as I said, I try to improve every day, every training session, every game.”

With Cucurella’s fitness in question, Hato could retain his starting berth for Wednesday’s pivotal trip to Aston Villa, a contest that could shape the race for Champions League qualification. Chelsea enter the match four points behind fourth-placed Villa with a game in hand, yet Hato maintains the squad’s approach remains unchanged.

“It’s a big one, of course,” he admitted. “Aston Villa are in the top four, and if we win, we get closer, but I think every game for us is important now until the end of the season. We go into it with the mindset to win every game, whether it’s Aston Villa or a different team.”

Should Hato feature at Villa Park, it would represent another opportunity to accelerate his development and press his claim for a more prominent role in the season’s decisive weeks.