Jose Mourinho had hoped Lewis Baker would be playing for England by now.
Leeds United new boy Lewis Baker arrives at Elland Road with a big reputation, and is a player with untapped potential.
The Chelsea loanee has a chance to blossom into a superstar, but at 23, he is slipping behind where he wanted to be by now.
Baker had dreamed of Champions League instead of Championship, after prolific goalscoring from midfield in his teen years in Chelsea’s academy.
He is a player who former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said he was willing to stake his reputation on.
In 36 games for Chelsea’s under-23s, Baker scored 15 goals and provided 14 assists, a more than healthy return.
Mourinho told The Mirror: “If, in a few years, Baker, Brown and Solanke are not national team players, I should blame myself.”
One year later Mourinho was sacked, and was unable to see through his pledge.
He did not do enough though to fast track Baker, giving him only three minutes of first team action.
Baker has made it into England’s under-21 side, where he has eight goals in 17 matches.
Mourinho’s comments alone though show just how highly he rated Baker, and it is now up to Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa to unlock his potential.
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